Washington's second wolf pack confirmed

[jackelope]

Washington's second wolf pack confirmed,
wolf activity being monitored in Pend Oreille County

Washington's second gray wolf pack has been confirmed and an adult wolf has been equipped with a satellite-telemetry tracking collar by state biologists in northeast Washington's Pend Oreille County.

This morning, biologists with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) led by a wolf expert from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game temporarily captured a 105-pound wolf-believed to be the alpha-male pack leader-to equip it with a satellite-telemetry collar so its movements can be tracked. Two wolf pups also were temporarily captured, equipped with ear tags and released.

The collared wolf's movements will be monitored with periodic relocation data transmitted by satellite and downloaded on a computer. The Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment allows monitoring without the aerial or ground tracking required in standard radio telemetry.   

Biologists found earlier evidence of the wolf pack-they have named the Diamond Pack-through howling responses from multiple wolves of various ages, and from photos of up to four young wolves recorded on a remote, motion-triggered camera. A wolf pack is defined as two or more wolves traveling together.

Biologists with WDFW and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have been monitoring the area in recent weeks, after a DNR remote camera recorded images in May of what appeared to be an adult male and female gray wolf. The female wolf was lactating, indicating she was nursing pups. Subsequent genetic testing of a hair sample collected from a camera station indicated the hair came from a male gray wolf from the northwestern Montana/southwestern Alberta wolf population.

More recently biologists conducted howling surveys, and responding howls were heard from multiple wolves-both juvenile and adult.

Last summer, Washington's first breeding pair of wolves found since the 1930s was radio-collared in western Okanogan County in north-central Washington.

Gray wolves were removed from Washington by the 1930s as a result of trapping, shooting and poisoning, and later listed as both a federal and state endangered species.

Gray wolf populations in nearby Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have rebounded in recent years as a result of federal recovery efforts in the northern Rocky Mountains.  Gray wolves were recently removed from the federal endangered species list in those areas and the eastern third of Washington, including Pend Oreille County. They remain federally listed as endangered in the western two-thirds of Washington and state endangered throughout Washington.

WDFW is in the process of drafting a gray wolf conservation and management plan, which will be circulated for public comment later this year, and will be considered for adoption by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in 2010. The draft plan was developed with a 17-member citizen working group composed of wolf conservation representatives, ranchers and hunters.

Anyone wishing to report a possible wolf sighting or activity should call a toll-free wolf reporting hotline at 1-888-584-9038. Those with concerns about possible wolf-caused livestock depredation should contact the USDA Wildlife Services office in Olympia at (360) 753-9884 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Wenatchee at (509) 665-3508.

[jackelope]

Anyone wishing to report a possible wolf sighting or activity should call a toll-free wolf reporting hotline at 1-888-584-9038. Those with concerns about possible wolf-caused livestock depredation should contact the USDA Wildlife Services office in Olympia at (360) 753-9884 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Wenatchee at (509) 665-3508.

[jackelope]

a 105 lb. alpha male sounds to be a little smaller than the canadian grey wolves, no??

[wolfbait]

I wonder why they haven't splattered their DNA testing results up on how it came down from Alberta via four legs, loves to eat salmon, or migrated from Idaho to find fresh girl friend. Do you suppose it is one of our native wolves?

[mulehunter]

The Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment, Geez... NEW techongy everyday!  I better work thur internet to find Techongy support who made this stuff and I better have a good CHAT with this guy! 

Wow Interesting. How does Gps works? How long does Collar battery last?  because my collar with New GPS only last 17 hours and recharge everytime u run 17 hours Thats what I use for my hounds Its GREAT STUFF I am telling u people! AMAZING Stuff. U could find them with anywhere u name place and u could find it with in 1 yard by use Gps. Geez.  Does it program inside collar when it turn on for 8 hours and off for 16 hrs so it will save longer battery. Will it last one year? 

I wonder if Bio can Dail his own number thur Gps to call toward to those collar and he can listen to this Wolf that he captured and collared her.


Just wondering.

Mulehunter 

[bearpaw]

Thanks for the post.....hadn't seen this yet.

Subsequent genetic testing of a hair sample collected from a camera station indicated the hair came from a male gray wolf from the northwestern Montana/southwestern Alberta wolf population.

That sounds like a native wolf that naturally relocated to WA. Extreme NW Montana and southern Alberta have had them for a long time. My son ran into wolves last weekend near Clark Fork and they are scattered through all of the north Idaho units now. These wolves will continue to show up as they move out of more competitive areas. When the Pend Oreille River freezes over in the winter, it's easily crossed by lots of wildlife.

mulehunter they probably have some advanced electronics that are much easier on the batteries than previous equipment.

We need to report every wolf spotted so we can get these wolves delisted sooner than later.