Contact: Nick Cady, Legal Director, Cascadia Wildlands, 314-482-3746; nick@old.cascwild.org

UPDATE: At 2:49 pm today we received communication from ODFW that the agency lethally removed the four wolves.

Following a series of cattle and sheep depredations in Wallowa County, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has authorized lethal control of four Imnaha Pack wolves, including the alpha male (OR-4), the alpha female (OR-39), and two young wolves.

“We are deeply saddened by the difficult situation that has arisen for these Imnaha Pack wolves,” said Nick Cady, Legal Director of Cascadia Wildlands.  “Although the situation appears to be escalating in Wallowa County, we don’t condone using public taxpayer dollars to kill wolves on behalf of private interests.

OR-4 is one of the original alpha males in Oregon and has played a significant role in wolf recovery across the state.

“This is a particularly difficult day as OR-4 has sired an incredible number wolf pups over the years, which has fueled wolf recovery across the state,” says Josh Laughlin, Executive Director of Cascadia Wildlands. “His role and that of the other three wolves should be celebrated and remembered.”

Four other members of the Imnaha Pack appear to have split from this group of four, and are not being targeted, according to ODFW. The separation of the pack, and the advanced age and condition of both OR-4 and OR-39, could indicate the pack is splitting and may be contributing to the spike in livestock depredations.

Lethal control under these circumstances, like when pro-active nonlethal techniques are used to deter conflict, is contemplated in the Oregon Wolf Plan, and it appears the state has meaningfully deliberated over its decision.

More background on gray wolf recovery in the Pacific West can be found here.

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