It Amazes me that they would consider such low numbers recovered, when in fact before cattlemen intervention dating back to the early 1800’s, they estimated wolf population in the Millions in The US alone….
Wolves in Oregon continued to recover last year, bringing the number of known wolves in the state to 77.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on Tuesday released numbers from its annual wolf count , conducted at the end of each year. At last count, in early 2014, there were 64 wolves in Oregon. The number has been climbing yearly since the apex predators crossed into Oregon from Northeastern Idaho in the mid-2000s.
Last year’s growth rate was slower than in 2014, spurring Oregon Wild conservation director Steve Pedery to argue that while the continued signs of wolf recovery are encouraging, “the population remains fragile.”
Oregon’s continued wolf recovery opens up new questions about whether existing protections for the animals should continue. Gray wolves are listed under the state’s Endangered Species Act. ODFW announced last month that there are now eight breeding pairs in the state — enough to trigger a review of their endangered status.
In the coming months, ODFW wildlife biologist will conduct a “status review” detailing how wolves are faring. They’ll present their findings to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, which will have final say over whether to remove wolves from the list.
via 77 known Oregon gray wolves made it through 2014 | OregonLive.com.