OLYMPIA, Wash.— Washington’s overall wolf population in 2024 decreased by at least 9.44% and the number of successful breeding pairs declined by 25%, according to figures released today by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Today’s report indicates that at the end of 2024, the state had 230 wolves in 43 packs, 18 of which had successful breeding pairs. This marks a decrease from the end of 2023, when the state had 254 wolves in 42 packs, 24 of which had successful breeding pairs.

“It’s infuriating to see this dramatic decline in both the wolf population and successful breeding pairs, but it’s not shocking given the significant uptick in wolf killings over the past several years,” said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The disturbing drop shows how right the Fish and Wildlife Commission was to reject last year’s proposal to reduce state-level protections for Washington’s wolves.”

Today’s report shows that at least 37 wolves died in 2024, 31 of which were human-caused. Of all 37 reported deaths, five were killed for livestock conflicts — four by the department and one by a livestock owner. Nineteen died from Tribal hunting by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville, which retain tribal treaty rights for hunting on their reservation and on ceded lands, and by the Spokane Tribe.

Two died of natural causes (one was killed by a cougar and the other was killed by other wolves), one died from ingesting plastic, which perforated its intestine, two died from capture-related trauma while the department was capturing wolves to collar them, and one was shot in an alleged self-defense and likely died, though its body was never found and no charges were filed.

In addition, there were seven known illegal killings, which remain under investigation. Scientific research has shown that that for every illegally slain wolf that’s found, another one to two wolves have been killed and remain undiscovered.

Today’s report provided wolf figures for last year but also corrected figures for the end of 2023. That annual report erroneously reported more wolves and more breeding pairs than existed.

“The methodology for counting wolves for these annual reports needs consistency and this year’s numbers shows things are not going well,” said Weiss. “Don’t let anyone sell you on the idea that wolves in Washington are on a fast-track to recovery. Until the killing stops or is significantly curtailed, we won’t see wolf recovery across the state.”

Background

The state’s first wolf pack in modern times was confirmed in eastern Washington in 2008. Since then, records of the numbers of wolves, packs, breeding pairs and mortalities have been documented in annual wolf reports for the state.

Between 2008 and 2015, known wolf deaths in Washington were in the single digits most years. And in all years from 2008 to the present, human-caused mortality — due to the agency or ranchers killing wolves, vehicle strikes, tribal wolf killing, and illegal poaching of wolves — has been the leading cause of death for wolves. Since 2016 known wolf deaths rose into the double digits and continued to increase. In the past three years alone, those figures were 37 in 2022, 36 in 2023, and 37 in 2024.

This high level of mortality is likely a limiting factor for wolves to successfully disperse throughout the state. Washington’s wolf plan divides the state into three recovery regions with breeding pair population objectives designated for each.

No breeding pairs have yet been established in the third recovery region, which encompasses the southern Cascades and north coast. With more and more wolves being killed in eastern Washington, this results in fewer wolves available to disperse from their packs and head further west. The few wolves that have traveled into the western part of the state have been illegally killed there, including two killed in Klickitat County in the fall.

Despite the significant uptick in wolf mortality, the department in 2023 proposed to reduce protections for wolves from state endangered to state sensitive. This would have substantially reduced criminal penalties for the illegal killing of wolves and removed other vital protections.

In 2024 the Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected the department’s proposal because of commissioners’ concerns over increased wolf mortalities and the failure of wolves to have established even one successful breeding pair in the state’s third wolf recovery region.