Oregon Wolves Hold Their Own

Despite continued persecution, mass poisonings and vehicle collisions, Oregon's gray wolves managed to increase their numbers by 2 in 2021 to 175 according to the ODFW's 2021 report released Tuesday. The number of packs remained the same, 22.  The number of breeding pairs decreased from 19 in 2019 to only 16.  The annual increase in wolves is less than 2%--far removed from the expected 30% feared by agriculturalists and their state government supporters.  According to the report,"depredations of livestock continue to trend lower than the wolf population and most packs did not depredate in 2020."  A conservationist with the Center for Biological Diversity said wolf populations have hit a "troubling plateau" in their full recovery. [photo credit: M. Males]

Twenty-six wolves died in 2020, twenty-one deaths caused by humans. In February 2021 eight wolves, which included the entire Catherine Pack, were killed in Union County, apparent victims of mass poisoning.  The case is under investigation and no charges have been filed.  A $50,000 reward has been posted for information leading to arrests.  The state exterminated the entire Lookout Mountain Pack due to repeated predation of livestock.  All but three wolf packs are concentrated in the northeastern corner of the state, a mere fraction of their former range.  Western Oregon wolves got a break recently, as the federal government resumed its protection of the species under the Endangered Species Act in the western third of the state.  Wolves in eastern Oregon are subject to Oregon's wolf management plan that favors livestock owners.  A conservation organization spokesperson said wolves in Oregon need federal protection, statewide.