Gray wolf

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Washington's wolves

Early settlers described gray wolves as common to Washington and speculated that one or more wolf packs may have made their homes in each of all major river valleys in our state.

Read the latest wolf news and where wolves stand today.

Learn the truth on wolf recovery in Washington.

By the early 1900s, after years of animosity towards predators and government-sponsored bounty payments, wolves were gone from Washington and much of the Northwest, along with nearly all of the region's large predators, including grizzly bears.

In 1973, wolves were protected as an endangered species in the lower 48 states. In the '90s, they were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and since then have reestablished in Idaho and Montana. Now wolves have begun returning naturally to Washington, filtering in across the borders from Idaho and southward from the wilds of British Columbia.

Washington's Lookout pack was the first to return in 2008. Volunteers with Conservation Northwest's Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project documented those photos by remote camera. Today in 2012, Washington has five known wolf packs, three successful breeding pairs, and a total of about 27 wolves. 

Welcome home, Washington's wolves

Social attitudes toward wolves are also changing. More than 75% of Washington residents queried in a 2008 wildlife poll supported recovery of Washington's wolves. An outpouring of support for wolves in Washington bolstered support for the science-based, balanced plan. On December 3, 2011, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the state wolf plan.

Packs as of 2012. WDFW

What we are doing for wolves

Conservation Northwest is the premiere group working on recovery of Washington's wolves. We've hosted activist trainings, educational forums for ranchers and landowners, presentations on learning to live with wolves, adding to a reward fund to deter poachers, and monitoring wolf packs across the state.

We've worked for five years on wolf recovery, including serving on a governor-appointed Wolf Working Group and organizing citizens to speak up for a strong, science-based recovery plan. Following the 2009 illegal killings of members of the Lookout pack, we're working to stop poaching. We've also defeated anti-wolf state legislation harmful to wolves. Together we can recover wolves in the Northwest, protect and connect habitat, and secure a future for this important wild predator. 

About wolves

• Canis lupus, the gray wolf, is the largest of the canines - 2 to 3 times the size of a coyote.
• Wolves once lived around the state, including the Olympic Peninsula, where their loss has led to big changes in the courses of rivers, vegetation, and other wildlife.
• Wolves have excellent hearing and a keen sense of smell. They hunt and socialize in family groups known as packs.
• Wolves are returning on their own to Washington. There have been zero reintroductions in the state.
• Washington has a known population of about 30-50 wolves, distributed in at least five packs around the state.
• Some of the wolves documented in the Cascades have had their DNA traced to wolves in coastal British Columbia. They have also been documented eating salmon!
• Sprawl and development spells loss of habitat for wolves and their prey; but overall, the greatest threat to wolves is people's fear and misunderstanding about them.
• As a top carnivore, the gray wolf, along with other predators such as the bear and cougar, control prey populations so that a landscape may support a healthy ecosystem.
• Wolves play a vital role in maintaining the health of big game by culling sick animals and promoting stable ungulate populations. Biologists tell us that herds of big game - from elk to deer - are healthier with wolves in the habitat than without.

Look for showings of Lords of Nature, a documentary film about wolves and other predators and how people are learning to live with them. Learn more about wolves in the West and see an animated map of where wolves live today.