The Associated Press
OLYMPIA, WASH. — After fatally shooting two wolves, state wildlife officials have ended operations to remove other members of the pack in northeastern Washington.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife said Thursday it will resume killing wolves if there are new attacks on livestock.
State officials in helicopters shot and killed two adult female wolves on Aug. 5 after confirming several livestock attacks by the wolves this year.
During the two-week operation, officials tracked wolves in Ferry County by air and on the ground using GPS signals. The wolves eventually retreated into thick forest of the Kettle River Range.
The department’s Donny Martorello says there have been no new livestock attacks since the agency authorized the wolf killings on Aug. 3.
This is the third time the state has killed wolves since the apex predators began recolonizing Washington on their own a decade ago.