A power line that was hanging near the ground after being struck by a falling tree electrocuted over a dozen animals near Eureka in northwestern Montana over the last few months. Officials found the carcasses of five whitetail deer, four black bears, two wolves, one coyote, and a turkey vulture in the area.
The power company did not know about the problem with the line until the power went out on October 10. A biologist with the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks thinks the deer probably walked into the line first and their carcasses attracted the predators, which were then electrocuted.
All of the animals were in various stages of decomposition except for a large dead wolf that was still warm when the power company crew arrived on the scene.
