Breaking News: Video Shows Pack Of Ten Wolves Near Joseph

B-300, the alpha female of the Imnaha wolf pack. Taken in July of 2009 when ODFW replaced her radio collar. Photo from ODFW.

If you were looking for solid proof that gray wolves are making a comeback in Oregon, this may be it.

Oregon Fish and Wildlife released video this afternoon showing a pack of ten wolves in the Imnaha Wildlife Management Unit in Wallowa County.  ODFW has been monitoring the pack since June of 2008, but the new video is proof that the pack is much bigger than they realized.

“ODFW has been regularly monitoring this pack but until this video was taken, we only had evidence of a minimum of three adults and three pups making up the pack, says Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator. “Pups can be difficult to distinguish at this distance, but it appears there may be as many as six pups in the video.

ODFW is monitoring this pack and another one in the Wenaha Unit of Wallowa County. If at least two pups survive until the end of the year, then the pack is considered a “breeding pair” under Oregon law. ODFW’s Wolf Management plan calls for establishing at least four breeding pairs for three consecutive years in Eastern Oregon before they can be removed from the state’s Endangered Species List.

In addition to the two packs, Michelle Dennehy says they are monitoring an undetermined number of isolated wolves.

Gray wolves in Eastern Oregon, Eastern Washington, and throughout most of the Rockies were delisted by the Obama Administration earlier this year. But should you happen to find any in Western Oregon, they remain protected under federal and state law.

Tags: gray wolf, gray wolves, odfw, oregon department of fish and wildlife, wallowa county