ODFW: Animal captured in surveillance is most likely dog

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. — Reports of wolf sightings on social media had a local community concerned Monday afternoon.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said it received multiple reports of possible wolf sightings over the weekend, mainly on Blackwell Rd. in Central Point. At least one homeowner caught a video of an animal and sent it to the agency to take a closer look.

“We have horses, sheep and cats, and of course dogs which we keep inside, but now I’m probably gonna keep them even more inside,” said Debi Kubik, who saw an animal that looked like a wolf on her security cameras, “just concerned for their safety.” Kubik, who lives on Blackwell Rd., said a neighbor asked if she had seen any of his cats because they were missing. After checking her surveillance camera, she saw an animal that looked like a wolf.

While there has been a cluster of activity out there recently, ODFW said the animal appeared to be a large dog and not a wolf.

According to ODFW, wolves are not a concern for humans historically. However, since the Rogue Pack has had some incidents with livestock, they have a conflict deterrence plan on their website for livestock owners who want to take some precautions.

The state agency said sending in sightings, pictures and videos are a big help. To submit, go to their website and head to the wolf reporting page. There’s also a quiz to help see if it’s a wolf or a coyote.