State Agency Suspends Lethal Removal of Wolf in Aladdin Valley Area

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Kelly Susewind announced on May 29 that the agency has not removed a wolf in the Aladdin Valley area. Susewind directed staff to end lethal removal efforts and transition to an evaluation period. Lethal removal will be reconsidered if another depredation occurs, Susewind said. Susewind had authorized the lethal removal of one wolf from Aladdin Valley on May 22 in response to repeated cattle depredations. According to WDFW, the authorization is consistent with the guidance of the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan and the lethal removal provisions of the Department’s wolf-livestock in- teraction protocol. WDFW staff, in cooperation with the Stevens and Ferry Counties Wild- life Specialist, documented a total of three depredation events since May 17, resulting in one dead and two injured calves in this area. WDFW staff said this depredation area is used by overlapping wolf packs and the department could not identify the pack responsible for those depredations, at that time. Following the depredations, WDFW staff said they deployed non-lethal deterrents in the form of traps and turbo-fladry in the affected area to minimize further depredations. The turbo-fladry will remain in the area until the producers request its removal. Prior to the lethal removal authori- zation, WDFW staff said they trapped, radio-collared, and released an adult male wolf near the depredation site. After that capture, there was no documented additional wolf activity in that area. The newly-collared wolf traveled to the Onion Creek wolf pack territory and was photographed traveling with at least two other adult gray wolves in that territory, according to the agency. The department concluded that this wolf is a member of the ‘Onion Creek wolf pack’ and has attributed the abovementioned depredations to that pack.