Wildlife officials have removed wolves from packs in Oregon and Washington following chronic depredation episodes and after non-lethal deterrents have proved to be ineffective.
On Aug. 15 and Aug. 29, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) issued lethal removal permits to two producers to remove two wolves from the Wildcat Pack following depredations of one cow and two calves. On Aug. 31, ODFW announced two wolves, a 2-year-old male and a yearling male, were removed by USDA’s Wildlife Services on the private forest allotment of one of the producers impacted.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced on Aug. 28 the lethal removal of two wolves, an adult male wolf and a yearling female wolf, from the WA139 Pack in Asotin County following a permit issued on Aug. 23 by Director Kelly Susewind. WDFW documented four depredation events affecting four livestock producers, resulting in six dead livestock since May 21,all attributed to the WA139 group. Prior to depredations in WA, the wolves were involved in several depredations in southeast Oregon, where an Oregon producer removed one wolf. The WA139 Pack originated from a collared wolf who left the Tucannon Pack (WA139f).
