Published 9:15 am Thursday, August 26, 2021
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said Aug. 26 it will try to kill one or two wolves in the Togo wolf pack, which has been attacking cattle on public and private land in Ferry County.
Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind authorized lethal removal because non-lethal deterrents used by three different ranchers have not stopped the pack from attacking cattle, according to the department.
Even if more non-lethal measures are added, the attacks are likely to continue, according to the department.
The Togo pack has a history of attacking livestock. Susewind has authorized lethal removal five times in the past four years. The department has removed one wolf.
The pack has five adults and four pups and again crossed the threshold this month for the department to consider lethal removal.
The department has documented four attacks on calves since June 24, including three within the past 30 days. One calf was euthanized because of its injuries.
Ranchers have revised their operations to prevent the attacks, a prerequisite to the department resorting to lethal control.
Non-lethal measures include having more people around the grazing cattle and delaying the release of cattle onto summer grazing lands.
Livestock graze throughout much of the pack’s territory, and the wolves have learned to attack them, factors in the department concluding the depredations will continue.
The department said it does not expect that removing one or more wolves in the Togo pack will harm overall wolf recovery in Washington, another prerequisite of lethal removal.
The department has documented three wolf deaths this year. In past years, 12 to 21 wolves have died, and the population continues to rise, according to the department.
The department has a self-imposed deadline of Sept. 26 for removing wolves. The deadline could be extended if there are more attacks on livestock.
