Washington Wolf Pack Preying on Cattle OK to Kill, Says State

A Washington wolf pack preying on grazing livestock will be killed by wildlife officers after more cattle were found dead and injured, state officials decided.

The Profanity Peak wolf pack includes 11 wolves – six adults and five pups – and roams federal grazing land between Republic and Kettle Falls in Washington state, said KREM-TV.

Five cows have been found dead or injured since Aug. 3, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The department ordered the elimination of the wolves after an investigation into the deaths of two calves and injury of another in the Ferry County area.

"The injured calf was classified as the subject of a confirmed wolf attack and the dead calves as subjects of probable wolf attacks," the department said. "Since mid-July, WDFW has confirmed that wolves have killed or injured six cattle and probably five others, based on staff investigations."

Jim Unsworth, director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, authorized field staff to kill the remaining members of the pack.

Washington State Sen. Kevin Ranker, though, said the department's initial plan was to kill just half of the pack and called the move to kill the entire group "extreme," said KREM-TV.

"I was told that removal of half the pack would make a difference, and now we're being told they are going to remove the entire pack? They haven't implemented their first plan," said Ranker, former chair of the natural resources committee.

The wildlife department said the Profanity Peak wolf pack is one of 19 known packs in Washington state. The state confirmed that since 2008, the wolf population has grown from two wolves in one pack to at least 90 wolves.

Earlier this month, Nick Cady, legal director at the Cascadia Wildland, said on the Center for Biological Diversity website that killing wolves was a waste of taxpayer's money.

"It's tragic to see wolves killed, and I hope we continue to see growing wolf populations in Washington despite the yearly culling that inevitably takes place," said Cady. "I do not believe it makes sense to spend taxpayer dollars to kill wolves in remote roadless areas on public lands."

More than 19,000 people have signed an online petition asking Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to step in and stop the wolf pack elimination.

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