When a wolf's telemetry collar signaled that it wasn't moving, federal wildlife officials went to investigate. They found the collar's wearer dead, shot and killed in Washington State's Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Now, several conservation groups have pooled funding and are offering a $15,000 reward for any information that helps bring the poacher to justice.

"It is our hope that this reward will help law enforcement bring the person responsible for the killing of this wolf to justice and defer future tragic killings," Shawn Cantrell, an activist with Defenders of Wildlife, told seattlepi.com.

The carcass was located near the Salmon la Sac area of the Teanaway River valley, just north of Lake Cle Elum -- part of the western two-thirds of the state where wolves still enjoy both state and federal protections. Federal wildlife officials are investigating the killing and have asked local residents or visitors to the park area to report any suspicious activity between Oct. ​17 and 28.

The slain wolf was a breeding female. It had been dead 10 days when officials found it at the end of last month. At last count, there were at least 52 wolves in the state.

"The tragic, illegal killing of yet another alpha female clearly demonstrates why all our state's gray wolves need protection," said Dan Paul, a spokesman for the Humane Society of Washington.