WA Gray Wolf Population Decreases, Pack Numbers Increase in 2024

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife releases it's annual report of gray wolf populations. The 2024 report shows a dip in overall population, but the amount of packs grew by one last year.

According to WDFW Statewide Wolf Specialist Ben Maletzke, It's a good sign wolf recovery efforts are working, but there is work to do.

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"Even though this year we had a slight decline in total number of wolves, we're still seeing the population expand in areas we want to see that expansion in the North Cascades," Maletzke said. "Overall we are seeing wolves start to expand across the state, so I think we're doing fine."

Maletzke says there are three new packs formed or re-established in 2024 including the Teanaway and Naneum packs in Kittitas County and the Reed Pack in Okanogan County.

As of the end of 2024, WDFW and partnering tribes counted 230 wolves, which is a nine percent decrease from 2023, in 43 packs across the state. The number of breeding pairs dropped from 24 in 2023 to 18 in 2024.

Maletzke says the Eastern Recovery region and the North Recovery region are meeting or exceeding recovery objectives. However, the South Cascade Recovery region could see some improvement.

WDFW saw poaching increase in that region in 2024. From 55 wolves the department collared and monitored in 2024, they saw seven wolves poached.

"11 percent of the sample of wolves was poached," Maletzke said. "This past year being 11 percent almost doubled the amount of poaching that we saw... that has been fairly detrimental to wolves recovering in that last recovery zone."

Those seven poachings are part of 37 total wolf mortalities in 2024, which include 19 legally harvested by tribal hunters.

“Poaching wolves is unacceptable - in Washington, illegally killing a wolf or other endangered species is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $5,000 fine and one year in jail,” said WDFW Director Kelly Susewind. “In addition, poaching slows the natural recovery of wolves in the state and hinders their ability to reach recovery goals that could allow them to be delisted as a state-endangered species.”

All in all, Maletzke is pleased with the numbers, but he says there is work to be done if they want to remove gray wolves from the protected species list.

"When the North Cascades is doing well and even the Eastern Recovery region is doing well, that's our source population for the South Cascades," Maletzke said. "You want to see those populations healthy and robust to provide disbursers to make it to the South Cascades."

Maletzke re-emphasizes the South Cascade recovery effort is largely dependent on the tolerance of people willing to let the wolves repopulate.