The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
51°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

At least 175 wolves counted in Oregon annual survey

This Feb., 2017, photo provided by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shows a gray wolf in Oregon’s northern Wallowa County. WDFW reauthorized lethal action in Togo wolf pack in Ferry County on June 19, 2020. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP)
By Eli Francovich elif@spokesman.com(509) 459-5508

The minimum known count of wolves in Oregon at the end of 2021 was 175 , an increase of two wolves over the 2020 minimum known number of 173, according to the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management 2021 Annual Report released Tuesday.

The annual count is based on verified wolf evidence (like visual observations, tracks and remote camera photographs). The actual number of wolves in Oregon is higher, as not all individuals present in the state are located during the winter count, according to an agency news release.

Wolf mortalities were higher last year with 26 known mortalities, up from 10 in 2020. Of those, 21 were human-caused (due to poaching, vehicle collisions and ODFW lethal control after chronic livestock depredation).

Depredations of livestock continue to trend lower than the wolf population and most packs did not depredate in 2020. Last year, however, saw higher counts of wolf depredation (49 confirmed incidents versus 31 in 2020) with most incidents happening from late summer to fall rather than in spring.