Washington's gray wolf population reaches highest count to date 61%
By Gabriel Spitzer0% Kathryn Stone0%
4/20/2026, 7:48:25 PM
Topics: Animals
BS Summary: This article contains 7 faulty reasoning types, including Pessimism Bias, False Dilemma, and Indoctrination, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 26% saturation with 88 hits. Analysis detected 234 faulty-reasoning hits from 339 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 56.6% and a BS Rank of 61% (6,674 of 16,813 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 60.30% of the article peer group.
New data shows Washington's gray wolf population has bounced back, reaching the highest statewide count of the species to date.
At least 270 gray wolves called Washington home in 2025, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, which began surveying the state's wolf population annually in 2008.
That's up about 17% since 2024.
The new report also finds the number of successful breeding pairs climbed from 18 to 23 — a 27% increase from 2024 — across 49 packs statewide.
Packs ranged from two to 12 wolves in 2025, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, but most were comprised of three to seven wolves.
Six of the 49 packs were either formed or reestablished in 2025.
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Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement that the report's findings are "encouraging" — but the work is far from over.
"Regaining lost footing is essential but these numbers don't mean wolves are recovered in Washington," Weiss said.
"The southern Cascades and North Coast boast some of the best wolf habitat in the state but still have no wolf packs or breeding pairs."
The new report also reveals that at least 28 wolves died in 2025 — about level with the previous year.
Most of the deaths were caused by people, including lethal removals for livestock conflicts, legal tribal hunting, and at least three poaching cases that are still under investigation.
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Weiss said human activity is still keeping wolves from moving into a few major parts of the state, including the southern Cascades and the North Coast.
"Once they get there, we must keep them safe from illegal poaching," Weiss said.
"The bottom line is that for Washington's wolf population to fully recover, the department must focus on reducing human-caused wolf deaths."
Analysis
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