Wildlife officials suspect third wolf pack

Washington wildlife officials are scouting for what could be the state’s third breeding wolf pack after a gray wolf pup recently was caught in Pend Oreille County near the Canada border.

An agency wolf specialist trapped and radio-collared a 50-pound young wolf earlier this month. The animal will be followed to see if officials can determine whether it came from a den in British Columbia or Washington.

A breeding pack was confirmed farther south in Pend Oreille County last year.

The number of breeding packs confirmed in the state eventually could change the wolf’s endangered species status. A state wolf management plan, in the works since 2007, is expected to be released this winter.

Washington’s first documented wolf pack since the 1920s was found in 2008 in western Okanogan County.

Another wolf pack is suspected to be roaming the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness Area along the Washington-Oregon border.

The Spokesman-Review