Washington wolf numbers dip in 2024
Apr. 6—Washington's population of gray wolves decreased even as the number of packs grew slightly, according to estimates released by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on Saturday.
At the end of 2024, the agency estimated there were 230 wolves in Washington, 43 different packs and 18 breeding pairs. The overall population estimate declined 9 percent compared to 2023 when the state's wolf count was 254 in 42 packs with 24 breeding pairs.
"The state's wolf population grew by an average of 20% per year since the first (state) wolf survey in 2008, until 2024," statewide wolf specialist Ben Maletzke said in a news release. "Despite reduced population counts statewide, the number of packs increased in the North Cascades in 2024, and both the North Cascades and Eastern Washington Recovery regions continued to meet or exceed recovery objectives for the fifth year in a row."
In southeastern Washington, the Couse pack had at least four members, the Columbia Pack had eight, the Grouse Flats pack had nine members and the Tucannon pack had a minimum of four members.
The Butte Creek, Couse, Columbia and Grouse Flats packs were among the 18 documented to have successfully raised pups — also known as a breeding pair. The number of packs to produce and raise pups that survived the year declined 25 percent from 2023 to 2024.
The department tallied 37 wolf mortalities. Of those 19 were harvested by tribal members, four were killed by the agency for attacking livestock — including two from the Couse Pack — and seven were killed illegally.
Wolves were involved in 40 documented attacks on livestock that resulted in the deaths of 17 cattle and one domestic dog. Two calves were judged to have likely been killed by wolves, 26 cattle were injured by wolves, and wolves were the probable cause of another 10 cattle injured.
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The conservation group Center for Biological Diversity called the drop dramatic.
"The disturbing drop shows how right the Fish and Wildlife Commission was to reject last year's proposal to reduce state-level protections for Washington's wolves," the group's senior wolf advocate Amaroq Weiss said in a news release.
Last year, the department recommended that wolves be downlisted from endangered under the state law to sensitive. But the commission rejected the move.
Anatone cattle rancher Jay Holzmiller said the department's estimate may be well shy of the actual number of wolves on the ground.
"You have to remember this is the minimum and there are really good odds there are more wolves out there than they are counting," he said. "At the end of the day, we are way beyond what their quote-unquote management level was and they should be downlisted. I feel strongly on that."
Federally, wolves in the western two-thirds of Washington are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Wolves in the rest of the state are not federally protected.
Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com
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