A cooperative effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nez Perce Tribe, National Park Service, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Idaho Fish and Game, Blackfeet Nation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and USDA Wildlife Service, the 2009 Interagency Annual Wolf (=Canis lupus) Report for the Northern Rocky Mountain (NRM) Distinct Population Segment is now posted online at http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov .
The 2009 NRM wolf population increased over 2008 levels and now includes at least 1,706 wolves in 242 packs and 115 breeding pairs. Wolf packs and especially breeding pairs largely remain within the core recovery areas, but for the first time breeding pairs were confirmed in eastern Washington and Oregon. Agency control, hunting and the natural territorial behavior of wolves slowed population growth to less than 4 percent in 2009, the lowest growth rate since 1995. In 2009 Federal agencies spent $3,763,000 for wolf management. Private and state agencies paid $457,785 in compensation for wolf-damage to livestock in 2009. Confirmed cattle losses in 2009 (192) were lower than in 2008 (214), but confirmed sheep losses (721) and dog losses (24) were higher than in 2008 (355 and 14 respectively). Montana removed 145 wolves by agency control and 72 by hunting. Idaho removed 93 by agency control and 134 by hunting. In Wyoming, 32 wolves were removed by agency control. In Oregon, two wolves were removed by agency control. No wolves were controlled in Washington or Utah. Wolves in the NRM, except in Wyoming, were delisted on May 4, 2009. The decision to delist by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is being litigated in both Wyoming and Montana Federal District Courts.
This report represents information on the status, distribution and management of the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf population from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009, and is composed of five Sections: 1) Montana; 2) Wyoming; 3) Idaho; 4) U.S. FWS overview of dispersal, funding, litigation, and relevant publications; and 5) tables and figures of wolves and wolf depredations. The Idaho and Montana state sections of the annual wolf report are also available online at the websites for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks http://fwp.mt.gov/wildthings/management/wolf/default.html and Idaho Department of Fish and Game http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/wildlife/wolves.
