SPOKANE, Wash. — A new report published Thursday found that for the first time a wolf pack has been documented west of the Cascade Range, in Skagit County.
“Packs and breeding pairs are the building blocks of population growth,” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife wolf policy lead Donny Martorello said in a statement. "It’s reassuring to see our wolf population occupying more areas of the landscape.”
In 2016, a single male wolf was captured in Skagit County and fitted with a radio collar. That wolf has been traveling with a female wolf through the winter, achieving pack status.
The new pack's name is Diobudsud Creek.
WDFW's annual wolf census shows the numbers of wolves across the state continued to grow for the 10th straight year.
The report shows the state has a minimum of 126 individual wolves, 27 packs, and 15 successful breeding pairs - which are male and female adults who have raised at least two pups that survived through the end of the year. A year ago, there were 122 wolves in 22 packs with 14 breeding pairs.
Wolves were virtually wiped out in Washington by the 1930s, but started returning to the state from surrounding areas early in this century.