Judge Sides With WDFW On Pack Removal

Last week, a King County judge sided with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s 2019 decision to remove the Old Profanity Territory wolf pack.

In August, WDFW decided to lethally remove the four final members for the Ferry County pack, after it was determined the OPT was responsible for 29 depredations over the previous 11 months. Environmental groups filed suit, saying the Department violated the State Environmental Policy Act.

However, after the listening to extensive arguments from both sides last month, the judge ruled in WDFW’s favor.

“The Department thanks Judge [John] McHale for his time and close scrutiny in this case,” said Donny Martorello, the Department’s Wolf Policy Lead. “We know this was a complex situation and not a simple decision to make, and we respect the time he took to study the materials. We understand this is not the outcome that the petitioners, and likely other individuals, were hoping for. The Department remains committed to working with a diversity of Washington citizens on ways to address wolf-livestock conflict and ultimately reduce the loss of wolves and livestock.”

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