OLYMPIA, Washington – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported yesterday that a livestock producer on private grazing lands in northern Ferry County saw one wolf in the act of attacking livestock and shot and killed the wolf. The incident occurred on Oct. 27.
The producer reported the incident and WDFW investigated the action. It was ruled to be consistent with state regulations. The wolf was in an area of the state where the animals have been removed from federal protection. Under state law, the owner of domestic animals, as well as his or her agents, may kill one gray wolf without a permit if the wolf is attacking their domestic animals.
The incident occurred outside any known pack territories. The wolf that was killed was an unmarked adult female.
WDFW also reports that on Nov. 2 a different livestock producer contacted the agency to report a suspected wolf attack. The injured calf was less than three miles from where the unmarked female wolf was killed. The animal was examined, and it was ruled to be a confirmed act of wolf depredation.
The calf had injuries to both rear flanks and on both rear legs between the pin and hocks. There had also been repeated reports from both the producer and WDFW-contracted range rider of wolf howls, tracks, scat, and cattle grouping behavior that indicated the presence of wolves.