Oregon’s Wolf Population Grew Last Year, but Just Barely

Some advocates are concerned that the growth isn’t substantial enough.

39753387540_8f0945bd08_o A wolf of the Wenaha Pack captured on a remote camera on U.S. Forest Service land in northern Wallowa County in February 2017. Photo by ODFW.
By Shannon Gormley

Oregon’s wolf population has increased.

According to a new report by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the minimum count of wolves in 2020 was 173, a 9.5% increase from the previous year. The net increase of 15 wolves includes seven human-caused wolf mortalities.

Once hunted to near extinction, gray wolves are slowly making a comeback in the Western United States. The population here in Oregon has slightly increased each year since the species’ return to the state in 2009.

But some advocates are concerned that the population growth isn’t substantial enough.

“The growth of Oregon’s wolf population has hit a troubling plateau,” the Center for Biological Diversity said in a press release. “And the discovery of five dead wolves together early this year is a serious problem that state officials need to tackle if we’re to achieve full wolf recovery here.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stripped the gray wolf of Endangered Species Act protections, a move that was widely challenged by conservation groups. Five wolves have already been found dead this year, though ODFW has yet to release the cause of their deaths.

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