Wolf Weekly Wrap-up

Keeping track of Oregon’s wolves — Biologists with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have been busy so far this summer keeping tabs on all the wolf activity. Earlier in the month, they collared two wolves—a six-year-old male in the Umatilla River area, and a 2-year-old female in the Wenaha pack. This week, they received a trail-cam photo of a lactating female near the Eagle Cap Wilderness area. See photos below, courtesy of ODFW:

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“Boise” arrives at Busch Gardens – The lone Idaho wolf pup found by a roadside in central Idaho now has a couple of mates at his new home in Williamsburg, Virginia. Zoologists at Busch Gardens have named him “Boise,” and they’re raising him with two other pups brought in from Montana. The pups are handled regularly so they grow accustomed to human contact but will be raised primarily by a surrogate female dog. The zoo manager expects the pups will be on public display within a few weeks. See Busch Gardens press release, video and photos of Boise’s arrival last week.

Woo-hoo for Wood River! — The Idaho Mountain Express reported on last week’s successful workshop, highlighting areas of broad agreement on moving the Wood River Wolf Project forward. As the story notes, not a single wolf has been killed within in the project area since 2008, which demonstrates how effective nonlethal deterrents can be when used appropriately. Wolves have been killed just outside the project area, however, where ranchers have not taken sufficient steps to prevent conflict with livestock. This sharp contrast indicates that innovative management tools really can make a difference.