FERRY CO., Wash — A judge issued a temporary restraining order on Monday to prevent the killing of a wolf pack who is responsible for repeat attacks on livestock in northern Ferry County.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Cascadia Wildlands had asked for temporary restraining order to stop wildlife officials from taking lethal action against the Togo wolf pack. The suit was filed in Superior Court of Washington for Thurston County.
“It’s outrageous that Washington wildlife officials want to kill more wolves from the state’s small and recovering wolf population,” said Amaroq Weiss, the Center’s West Coast wolf advocate. “Washingtonians overwhelmingly want wolves recovered, and current science says that killing wolves to prevent conflict is counterproductive. This isn’t the Old West anymore.”
Since 2012, Washington state has killed 18 state-endangered wolves, which is nearly 15 percent of the state’s current confirmed population of 122. Of those 15 were killed on behalf of the same livestock owner. Those kills have now led to the eradication of three entire wolf packs, including the Sherman pack last year, Profanity Peak pack in 2016 and Wedge pack in 2012.
WDFW authorized that staff take lethal measures to remove one or more members of the Togo wolf pack, which has preyed on cattle on numerous occasions in the Kettle River Range since last November. Three attacks have been recorded in the past 30 days.
Under protocol developed by WDFW’s Wolf Advisory Group, the department can consider lethal action against a wolf pack if it repeatedly kills or injures livestock three times within a 30-day period or four times in 10 months. Ranchers who have suffered livestock losses must have used at least two approved non-lethal measures to protect their livestock to be considered for an authorization for lethal action.
“I have reviewed the pack’s pattern of depredation along with the department’s wolf plan and wolf-livestock interaction protocol, and have concluded this action is warranted,” Kelly Susewind, director of WDFW, said. “The evidence shows that non-lethal measures have not been successful, and the pack will continue preying on livestock unless we take action to change its behavior.”
The Togo pack is one of 22 wolf packs documented in Washington state by WDFW as of March 2018. Annual surveys have shown the population growing at a rate of about 30 percent each year.
The judge today issued a temporary restraining order preventing the wolf kill and set a hearing on a preliminary injunction for Aug. 31.