Matriarch wolf of Washington’s Tucannon pack dies

LEWISTON – The alpha female of southeastern Washington’s Tucannon wolf pack has died, apparently from an infection acquired last week while being trapped and fitted with a radio collar.

Donny Martorello, wolf policy lead for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at Olympia, called the incident unfortunate. For months the state has been trying to get a tracking collar on at least one member of the pack that has established its home territory in the Blue Mountains.

“The risks of capture-related mortalities are a reality in wildlife management,” Martorello said in an email announcing the death to members of the state’s Wolf Advisory Group.

The collars allow biologists to keep tabs on wolf packs and monitor their growth and movements as they recolonize the state. They also allow wildlife officials to warn area ranchers when a pack moves close to livestock operations.

Jay Holzmiller, an Anatone rancher and a member of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, said the infection likely occurred when the animal was darted with a tranquilizer so it could be safely fitted with the collar. Martorello noted the state has trapped more than 70 wolves in the same manner without incident. Even so, he said wildlife managers would review trapping and tranquilizing protocol to see if steps can be taken to avoid similar incidents in the future.

It is believed the female had produced a litter, but the number of pups and their fate is not known. Martorello said biologists have decided against any sort of intervention to help the pack and the pups that are believed to be 5 to 6 weeks old, roughly the age when they are weaned.

“Experience from elsewhere indicates that when a reproductive female dies shortly after giving birth, other pack members provide for the pups,” he said. “Given these circumstances, we believe minimizing human disturbance near the pack is the best way to increase the likelihood of pup survival, so we are not attempting to locate the den and assess the fate of the pups at this time.”

Holzmiller is not a fan of wolves, both because they sometimes attack livestock and can drive down deer and elk numbers. But he said even though the Tucannon Pack was blamed for killing a calf last month, it has been fairly well behaved since it arrived in the Blue Mountains.

“I don’t want wolves around here, but reality is reality, sometimes whether you like it or not, that is the way it is,” he said. “If you get a pack that will behave themselves that is huge, it really is.”