OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state wildlife officials say they’ve confirmed the state’s fifth gray wolf pack, this one in Stevens County in the northeast corner of the state.
Fish and Wildlife biologists ear-tagged and released a 2-month-old pup earlier this month and have been trying to capture a breeding adult to radio-collar it. Ranchers reported seeing three pups and hearing howling in late June.
Officials say the pack is believed to include a breeding-age male and female and at least three pups. It’s been named the Smackout Pack, after a nearby mountain pass.
Gray wolves are making a comeback in Washington decades after being trapped and hunted to near-extinction. The first pack was confirmed in 2008 in Okanogan and Chelan counties. Two more packs were documented in Pend Oreille County. A fourth pack was confirmed last month in Kittitas County.
Gray wolves are protected a state endangered species. In the western two-thirds of the state, they are also federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.
