Given the quality of Washington’s Wolf Plan and investments in collaborative wolf conservation work here, we do not expect federal delisting to have a significant impact on wolves in our state.
Setting a precedent of regional delisting could have unintended consequences for other species in the future.
By all indications there are likely well over 150 wolves roaming Washington today.
“We think that getting courts involved does not get to coexistence during this difficult time and prefer continued dialogue with all affected parties to find an acceptable path forward.”
We strongly believe this situation, the third episode of conflict in this area, does not meet the intent and letter of Washington’s Wolf-Livestock Interaction Protocol.
Lawsuits and polarization haven’t worked out well for wolves elsewhere, so we see little upside in spreading those tactics to Washington, where wolf recovery is going relatively well overall” said Mitch Friedman, Conservation Northwest Executive Director. “Instead of polarization, our focus is on collaboration and long-term coexistence.
While wolf attacks on humans are exceedingly rare, they can be territorial around den and rendezvous sites in the interest of protecting pups. Barking is often a warning to stay away from pups or food sources. Thankfully nobody was harmed.
The state legislative session wrapped up in Olympia last month, and included in the budget were three items related to Washington’s wolves—funding for a special wolf survey in the South Cascades, money for ongoing conflict deterrence, and funds for a study on wolf translocation.
We think the current Wolf Plan, which was based on extensive public process and peer review, is better left as is until recovery goals are achieved.
Social tolerance for wolves continues to grow as well, evidenced by growing uptake of deterrence measures by livestock operators and reduced acrimony in the state legislature.