Washington's wolf population grew 16% during 2021

Washington’s wolf population grew 16% during 2021, marking the 13th consecutive year in which the state’s wolf population has increased, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

As of Dec. 31, 2021, the state counted 206 wolves among 33 packs. In 2020, the state counted 178 wolves across 29 packs. In the 33 packs counted last year, 19 contained a breeding pair — one male and one female, considered the pack’s leaders — which is up from the 2020 count of 16 breeding pairs. 

"Washington’s wolves continue to progress toward recovery, with four new packs documented in four different counties of the state in 2021,” Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind said in a news release. 

The agency said the 206 total is a minimum count, meaning the actual number of wolves in Washington is likely higher. Since the department first began keeping track of the state’s wolf population in 2008, their numbers have increased by an average of 25% per year. 

Gray wolves have been classified under state law as an endangered species since the 1980s, which means it’s a crime to kill them in most circumstances. Wildlife advocates argue that wolves are crucial to keeping deer and elk populations in check — which benefits plant life, and thus, other animal species — and say the carcasses of their prey provide food for scavengers. 

But they also eat cattle, which is a problem for Washington ranchers. A 2013 state law that allows property owners to kill wolves without a permit if their livestock is being attacked has been a topic of controversy over the last decade. 

In the state Department of Fish and Wildlife news release, the agency said 76% of the known wolf packs in Washington did not contribute to any known loss of livestock during 2021. The department said eight wolf packs did kill livestock, but said six of them were involved in fewer than two events. Two wolves were killed last year as a result. 

“Although wolf-livestock interactions have remained consistent, we recorded the lowest number of livestock depredation incidents in the state since 2017 and removed the fewest wolves in response to conflict since 2015,” wolf policy lead Julia Smith said in the news release. “We’re committed to promoting the proactive use of non-lethal deterrents to minimize wolf-livestock conflict, and proud to demonstrate that our approach is working.” 

The four new wolf packs documented last year were the Columbia Pack in Columbia County, the Keller Ridge Pack in Ferry County, the Dominion Pack in Stevens County and the Shady Pass pack in Chelan County.

In January 2021, wolves were removed from the federal Endangered Species Act list, so Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife took over statewide management of the species. But in February, wolves were re-listed in the western two-thirds of the state, so the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service once again has the lead role in wolf recovery in those areas.