Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Kelly Susewind today (August 12, 2024) approved incremental lethal removal of up to two adult wolves from the Leadpoint wolf pack in northeast Washington, in response to repeated depredations of cattle in Stevens County.
Director Susewind's decision is consistent with the guidance of the state's Wolf Conservation and Management Plan and the lethal removal provisions of the Department's 2017 wolf-livestock interaction protocol (PDF) (PDF). The rationale for authorizing lethal removal of Leadpoint pack wolves is as follows:
- WDFW has documented three confirmed and one probable wolf depredation events in the pack territory resulting in two dead (the first injured calf eventually died) and two injured livestock since June 28, 2024, all attributed to the Leadpoint pack.
- At least two (in this case, more than two) proactive deterrence measures and responsive deterrence measures (if applicable) were implemented by the affected livestock producer, prior to these depredation events. They included range riding, removing injured cattle from the range, carcass sanitation, thinning trees that have provided cover for wolves, and human presence.
- The Department documented these deterrents in the agency's "wolf-livestock mitigation measures" checklist, with date entries for deterrent tools and coordination with the producer. The proactive and reactive non-lethal deterrence measures implemented by the livestock producer were those best suited for their operations in the professional judgment of WDFW staff.
WDFW staff discussed the recent depredations by the Leadpoint wolf pack and associated effectiveness of the nonlethal deterrence tools implemented by the affected livestock producers. Staff determined that range riding occurred on a daily/near daily basis, along with regular human presence. Despite this, staff believes depredations will likely continue given recent pack behavior. Director Susewind agreed and authorized the lethal removal operation through Aug. 19, 2024 before entering into an evaluation period. The lethal removal operation may be extended if additional wolf depredations are documented.
Previous updates
2024 Leadpoint pack updates:
WDFW will provide a final report on this and any other lethal removal actions during 2024 in the Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2024 Annual Report, which will be published during spring 2025.
A summary of all documented depredation activity within the past 10 months is included in every monthly wolf update.