wolf Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

A Wolf In Northeastern Washington Was Killed Illegally. Here’s Why It’s A Big Deal

By NWPB News July 8, 2021

A sign on the side of trailer in Stevens County, Washington, near Chewelah off U.S. Highway 395 prompts people to report "dangerous wildlife" like cougars and wolves. CREDIT: Scott Leadingham/NWPB

Wolf poachers go mostly undiscovered — but that hasn’t stopped nonprofit organizations from putting up significant cash rewards for information about these incidents. While rewards generally don’t lead to convictions, Defenders of Wildlife’s Gwen Dobbs says reward offers in cases of wildlife poaching can help raise public awareness, “hopefully serving as a deterrent Read More

A Push To Revive Federal Protections For Wolves After New State Laws Allow More Killing

By NWPB News May 26, 2021

In this Feb. 1, 2017 image provided the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, a wolf pack is captured by a remote camera in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in northeast Oregon near the Idaho border. Wildlife advocates pressed the Biden administration on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, to revive federal protections for gray wolves across the Northern Rockies after Republican lawmakers in Idaho and Montana made it much easier to kill the predators. CREDIT: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

Wildlife advocates are pressing the Biden administration to revive federal protections for gray wolves across the Northern Rockies after Republican lawmakers in Idaho and Montana made it much easier to kill the predators. Read More

Scientists Urge Federal Government To Restore Protections For Gray Wolves

By NWPB News May 16, 2021

In this Sept. 26, 2018 photo, provided by the National Park Service, a 4-year-old female gray wolf emerges from her cage as it is released at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. A group of scientists urged the Biden administration Thursday, May 13, 2021, to restore legal protections for gray wolves, saying their removal earlier in the year was premature and states were allowing too many of the animals to be killed. CREDIT: National Park Service via AP

A group of scientists urged the Biden administration Thursday to restore legal protections for gray wolves, saying their removal earlier this year was premature and that states are allowing too many of the animals to be killed. Continue Read More

Governor Signs Bill Allowing For Killing Of Up To 90% Of Wolves In Idaho

By NWPB News May 7, 2021

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed into law a measure that could lead to killing 90% of the state’s 1,500 wolves in a move that was backed by hunters and the state’s powerful ranching sector but heavily criticized by environmental advocates. Read More

Ex-Wildlife Managers Want Governor To Veto Bill Poised To Eliminate 90% Of Wolves In Idaho

By NWPB News April 29, 2021

Nearly 30 retired state, federal and tribal wildlife managers sent a letter Wednesday to Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little asking him to veto a bill backed by agricultural interests that could cut the state’s wolf population by 90%. Read More

States Look To Ramp Up Wolf Kills Following Previous Administration’s Move To Ease Protections

By NWPB News March 8, 2021

The timing of the Wisconsin hunt was bumped up following a lawsuit that raised concerns President Joe Biden’s administration would intervene to restore gray wolf protections. The group behind the suit has close links to Republican political circles including influential donors the Koch brothers and notable Trump loyalists — Kris Kobach, a former U.S. Senate candidate from Read More

In Historic Move, Colorado Voters Decide To Reintroduce Gray Wolves

By NPR News November 6, 2020

A gray wolf - wolves in Colorado - AP PHOTO

The move challenges a long tradition of leaving wildlife management to governments, not the public. But the vote was narrow, reflecting many people's serious concerns about bringing wolves back. Continue Reading In Historic Move, Colorado Read More

Wolves Will Lose Federal Protections In The Northwest, Conservation Groups Vow A Fight

By Courtney Flatt October 29, 2020

A wolf from the Snake River Pack passes by a remote camera in eastern Wallowa County, Ore. A wolf advocate group in Colorado is challenging the model for U.S. wildlife management. CREDIT: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

The federal government says it will remove endangered species protections for gray wolves in the Lower 48. The move will reduce protections for the predators in the western two-thirds of Washington and Oregon. Continue Read More

State Wildlife Agency Kills Final Two Wolves In Northeastern Washington Wedge Pack

By NWPB News August 17, 2020

Most of the wolves in Washington are in the northeastern part of the state. A bill by Republican state Rep. Joel Kretz proposes a wolf sanctuary on Bainbridge Island. CREDIT: WASHINGTON DEPT. OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

Washington state has killed the last two known wolves in the so-called Wedge pack in Stevens County, which had been preying on livestock, the Department of Fish and Wildlife said Monday. Continue Reading State Wildlife Agency Read More

Wildlife Managers Will Kill More Wolves In Northeastern Washington After Livestock Killings

By NWPB News August 11, 2020

The state of Washington on Tuesday ordered that more endangered wolves be killed in a pack that continued to prey on cattle in Stevens County even after one member was eliminated. The decision was criticized by conservation groups who want the state to stop killing wolves. The state has killed more than 30 wolves since 2012. Read More

Washington State Commission Rejects Petition To Limit Killing Of Wolves

By NWPB News June 26, 2020

Wolves on a trail camera near Republic, Wash., in Ferry County. Courtesy of University of Washington

A petition that called for new rules to limit when the state can kill endangered wolves that prey on livestock was rejected by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. Continue Reading Washington State Commission Rejects Petition To Read More

‘Fatal Attraction’: Seen On Movie Screens … And In Northwest Carnivores, Study Shows

By Courtney Flatt March 30, 2020

Even though large predators sometimes leave food that smaller predators scavenge, turns out, it’s actually dangerous for smaller animals to eat the leftovers. Continue Reading ‘Fatal Attraction’: Seen On Movie Screens … And In Read More

Washington Wildlife Officials Cancel Public Meetings On Wolves Under Threats Of Violence

By Courtney Flatt August 29, 2019

Threats of violence have caused Washington officials to cancel a series of in-person informational wolf management meetings. In a news release, state Fish and Wildlife director Kelly Susewind said the tensions this summer were “on both sides of the issue.” Read More

Washington’s Wolf Population Likely Larger Than Estimated, Researcher Says

By NWPB News February 5, 2019

The breeding female of the Walla Walla Pack in northern Oregon's Umatilla County. A University of Washington researcher says the number of wolves in adjacent Washington state is likely much higher than estimates. CREDIT: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE/AP

The number of wolves in Washington state is likely much higher than previously thought, according to a University of Washington researcher who spent two years studying the animals using scat-sniffing dogs. Continue Reading Read More