Victory! Washington Wolves to Remain Protected

This week, in a much-needed win for wolves, the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 5-4 to keep wolves on the State Endangered Species List.

Wolves were federally delisted in Washington in 2021 but have remained on the state's Endangered Species List to ensure that their population can truly recover.

Thanks to statewide protections, the wolf population in Washington has reached around 260 individuals in 42 packs. However, wolves have not yet achieved the milestone of natural regional dispersal into Western Washington, their final hurdle for successful recovery.

The decision by Washington's Fish and Wildlife Commission is a concrete example of "trusting the science," as wolves have not yet met all their recovery goals in the state and therefore must remain protected.

Although this is a major win for wolves, the only way to ensure the long-term survival of their species is to continue to fight to get wolves re-listed across the country.