WDFW reports on alleged wolf shooting

A case report on the alleged illegal shooting of a wolf last month near Pullman will be forwarded to the Whitman County prosecutor’s office for a decision on what charge, if any, will be filed, according to Steve Crown, enforcement chief for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Crown told the Gazette Friday that DNA test results from UCLA were reported and showed the animal which was shot was 100 percent wolf.

Crown said the case report will be sent to Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy this week.

WDFW officials received reports of a wolf being shot Oct. 12. Initial reports indicated the lone wolf was pursued in a vehicle and was shot near Pullman on the west side of Highway 195.

The shooting was not associated with life or livestock endangerment.

Wolves are still listed on the state endangered species list in eastern Washington, but de-listed at the federal level in this region. However, in central and western Washington, wolves are listed as endangered at both the state and federal levels.

WDFW officials said that there’s been confirmed sightings of wolves but they have not confirmed the presence of a pack, which is defined as two or more animals.

A black wolf was spotted near Dusty on March 6 of this year by Roger and Peggy Zaring. A photo of the wolf is on the cover of the Pioneer Telephone Company’s current telephone book.

Joey McCanna, Private Lands and Wildlife Conflict Supervisor for this region, visited the Zarings, examined the photos and confirmed the animal that the Zarings saw was a wolf.

A pack with pups was confirmed in July 2008 in western Okanogan and northern Chelan counties and represented the first fully documented breeding by wolves in the state since the 1930s. A second pack with pups was confirmed in Pend Oreille County in July 2009. Since then several other wolf packs have been confirmed.

Anyone who sees a wolf or any evidence of wolves is asked to report it immediately to wdfw.wa.gov or call 1-877-933-9847.