Inslee orders rework of wolf and livestock protection rules

OLYMPIA – Governor Jay Inslee has ordered the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to rework wolf and livestock protection rules. The rule-making process is to create a more formal and consistent review process before a decision is made to destroy a wolf, and to maintain a continuity in that process.

By state estimates, there are only about 216 state-endangered gray wolves left in Washington. Wolves hunt to survive, and they occasionally hunt and kill livestock. In cases where ranchers report wolves chronically harming livestock despite preventative measures , state officials have lethally removed 53 wolves since 2012.

Fortunately, the need for removal has fallen year after year thanks to protocol introduced by the state Wolf Advisory Group. Wolf-livestock conflicts have fallen, lethal removals have fallen, livestock losses have fallen, and wolf populations have improved.

But the determination to destroy a wolf is still a matter of protocol rather than a matter of rule, Inslee said. He wants rules instead.

Photo of gray wolf via WDFW

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Elkhorn Media Group

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