In brief: Wolf pack confirmed in Stevens County

A new gray wolf pack with pups has been confirmed in northeastern Stevens County, raising the number of Washington’s wolf packs to five.

State Fish and Wildlife officials made the announcement Friday.

In early July, state biologists caught, marked with an ear tag and released a 2-month-old wolf pup from the pack, officials said. Biologists have since been trying to capture one of the pack’s breeding adult wolves to radio-collar it for monitoring.

The group has been named the Smackout Pack, in reference to geographic features in the area. So far, biologists believe it includes at least three pups and their parents.

The gray wolf is protected throughout Washington as a state endangered species. In the western two-thirds of Washington, the species is also federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.