Since August 19, Washington state officials have been actively removing a wolf pack that roams the northeastern corner of the state. But it wasn’t clear the state had already started killing the animals.
Conflict between wolves and livestock in the West has been controversial for decades. This summer, the Profanity Peak Pack has been blamed for at least 12 dead or injured cattle.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife’s announcement that it would remove the pack, deliberately came without a timeline.
“It raises tensions in communities for a variety of reasons,” WDFW Wolf Policy Lead Donny Martarello said.
Last spring, the Department developed it’s low profile plan with help from a citizen’s advisory panel.
“We’re not surprising anyone with this,” Martarello said. “It was a methodical conversation documented and agreed to unanimously by our stakeholders.”
Martarello said it’s “not a long term solution.” A new wolf pack is likely to move into the area once the Profanity Peak wolves are gone.