JACKSON (WNE) — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officers received word two years ago that several dogs had eaten poison and died just east of Dubois.

The domestic animals, out on walks near the East Fork of the Wind River and Horse Creek drainages, came down suddenly with diarrhea and were vomiting and convulsing. They were rushed to the East Fork Veterinary Services in Dubois, but didn’t make it.

When Fish and Wildlife Special Agent Steve Stoinski learned of the poisoned pooches, an investigation found many more wild casualties of the poison: a bald eagle, a golden eagle, a Swainson’s hawk, 14 ravens, 17 magpies, a coyote and several small mammals. He worked the January 2018 incident for two years before going public Friday with a request for information.

“We’re hoping that someone [will be] motivated enough by dead pets and poisoned wildlife to give us a call,” Stoinski said. “But it’s a shot in the dark.”

If helping nab the person who deposited the poison-laced meat isn’t enough motivation, there’s also a cash reward for information that leads to a conviction.

The federal agency put up $2,000 for the reward and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department offered up to $5,000 more. A Fremont County resident also pledged $3,000, bringing the total reward pot to a maximum of $10,000, Stoinski said.

Wildlife crime officials have a history of investigating illegal poisonings in western Wyoming, including incidents that killed dogs. Stoinski’s best guess is that the deadly compound distributed near the East Fork and Horse Creek was intended to target one of the region’s controversial large carnivores — grizzly bears or wolves.