Washington wolf count is published
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, April 28th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has released the 2020 wolf count, and it shows the wolf population is at its highest level since wolves began returning to the state.
The count, which ended on Dec. 31, 2020, found 132 wolves in 24 packs. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which maintains its own count, reported 46 wolves in five packs. Thirteen of the packs monitored by WDFW were documented to include successful breeding pairs.
The count is considered the minimum number of wolves and packs. Biologists believe the actual number of wolves, breeding pairs, and packs is probably higher.
In 2019 the wolf count showed 108 wolves in 21 packs with 10 breeding pairs. CTCR counted 37 wolves in five packs. That’s a 24 percent increase in the wolf population.
“For the first time, the North Cascades wolf recovery area has met the local recovery objective – four successful breeding pairs – during 2020,” WDFW Director Kelly Susewind said.
The four new packs in the WDFW-monitored area include the Navarre Pack in Okanogan County, the Vulcan Pack in Ferry County, and the Onion Creek Pack in Stevens County. In addition wolves reestablished a pack in the area formerly occupied by the Skookum Pack in Pend Oreille County.
Seventy nine percent of the known packs in Washington were not involved in any known livestock depredation last year. Seven packs were. WDFW documented 16 wolf deaths in 2020. Eight of those were legally harvested by tribal hunters, one was killed by a vehicle, two died of natural causes, and one was shot due to a perceived threat to human safety. One wolf died of unknown causes and three were lethally removed in response to wolf-caused livestock deaths.
