Oregon wildlife officials counted more gray wolves than ever last winter, a promising sign for the federally endangered species.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff counted 204 wolves in December, a 15% increase from the year before, according to the agency’s annual wolf report published last week.
Washington wildlife officials also released their annual wolf report last week. They counted 230 gray wolves in that state — a 9% drop from the year before, and Washington’s first population decrease since this native animal species returned nearly two decades ago.
In Oregon, more wolves appear to be breeding west of the Cascades, where the species has struggled with population rebound partly due to the number of roads and denser cities. Wildlife biologists counted seven breeding pairs in this region, up from three in 2023.
Still, wildlife advocates warn that Eastern Oregon wolf populations could stagnate or decrease, as the number of breeding pairs in this region has dropped.
“That is concerning because that speaks to the ability for wolves to find mates that are not related to them and be able to establish genetic diversity in their pool,” said Western Environmental Law Center deputy director Sristi Kamal, adding that a lack of genetic diversity could weaken the population’s ability to survive a disease outbreak.
Gray wolves are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, but only in Western Oregon. On the east side of the Cascade Mountains, gray wolves are managed by the state with fewer protections. For instance, if the state determines that a wolf killed livestock in Eastern Oregon, the livestock owner can apply for a permit to kill a wolf in a certain pack.
Although Oregon’s wolf population grew considerably last year, the number of livestock — including cattle, sheep or working dogs — that wolves killed decreased slightly from the year before, from 73 to 69. The state permitted ranchers to kill eleven wolves from packs that were suspected of killing multiple livestock. Ranchers killed another three wolves that were actively hunting livestock.
In all, the state recorded 22 human-caused wolf deaths. A driver hit and killed a wolf on Interstate 84 in Union County. The Fish and Wildlife department is investigating seven other wolf deaths — including an incident in which someone laced a cow carcass with poison and left it in a creek in Wallowa County.
Wildlife biologists believe the laced carcass killed three wolves — including a breeding pair and a young male wolf — as well as two federally protected golden eagles, a cougar and a coyote. The toxic meat was left in a tributary of the Imnaha River, threatening fish and other wildlife.
Gray wolves once thrived through Oregon and the West, but a 19th-century extermination campaign led by ranchers had almost wiped them out by 1950. They weren’t seen again until 1999, when a lone wolf wandered onto state soil. Their numbers have steadily climbed since.
Wolves’ rising numbers have led to increased tensions among ranchers, particularly in Eastern Oregon. Some people who are against wolves’ return have turned to illegal poaching — including poisonings, which have killed 19 wolves since 2015.
The state reimburses ranchers when their livestock are killed by wolves, following an investigation. Ranchers are reimbursed based on market rates. Lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 777, which would reimburse ranchers at five times the market value of an animal that may have been killed by wolves.
Environmental advocates worry this policy would divert funds away from programs that provide ranchers with non-lethal tools that deter wolves from attacking livestock, such as streamers called fladry.
“It might disincentivize the use of non-lethal tools if the payments are so egregiously high,” Kamal said. “We want the non-lethal tools to be the first line of defense, where you prevent conflict in the first place.”
SB 777 passed the Senate last month, and now sits in the House.
