This is an update for the Onion Creek wolf pack following the lethal removal authorization by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Kelly Susewind on Sept. 12, 2024.
WDFW Director Susewind approved incremental lethal removal of up to two wolves from the Onion Creek wolf pack in northeast Washington, in response to repeated depredations of cattle in Stevens and Pend Oreille Counties. The authorization is consistent with the guidance of the state's Wolf Conservation and Management Plan and the lethal removal provisions of the department's wolf-livestock interaction protocol (PDF).
On Sept. 19, WDFW lethally removed two wolves (a yearling female and an adult male) from the Onion Creek pack territory. With the removal of these two wolves, the lethal removal authorization is now expired.
If WDFW documents additional livestock depredations indicating a renewed pattern of depredation, another lethal removal action may be initiated, following the guidelines of the Wolf Plan and wolf-livestock interaction protocol.
Previous updates
2024 Onion Creek pack updates: