The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has suspended lethal action against the Profanity Peak wolf pack after announcing it would kill off the entire pack.
State wildlife managers have killed seven wolves in the pack since August to stop wolves from preying on grazing cattle in Ferry County. An eighth wolf is believed to have died from natural causes.
“The goal of our action was to stop predations on livestock in the near future,” WDFW director Jim Unsworth said in a release. “With the pack reduced in size from 12 members to four and most livestock off the grazing allotments, the likelihood of depredations in the near future is low.”
Ranchers across the state are currently rounding up cattle for winter.
WDFW announced in August that it would kill the entire wolf pack after cows were found dead or injured in Ferry County.
The decision to remove the Profanity Peak pack was highly controversial, as the wolves are listed as an endangered species. Protesters called the measure “extreme.”
However, the state said the pack qualified for the state’s lethal take policy, as the number of dead and injured cattle reached the state threshold.
