Washington officials will vote to remove gray wolf from endangered species list

After years of positive data and increased population, gray wolves in Washington could be reclassified from the endangered list and moved to the sensitive species list.

The gray wolf population in Washington may no longer be considered to be endangered.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is preparing to take a vote that may result in the removal of gray wolves from the state's endangered list.

"The status of species listed as endangered, threatened, or sensitive is supposed to be reviewed every five years by WDFW staff through what we call a periodic status review (PSR) process to assess available species information and recommend whether the species’ status warrants its current listing or if a reclassification is recommended," Staci Lehman, communications manager for the WDFW told Fox News Digital in an email.

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Based on the current status of the species, the population could be reclassified to the list of sensitive species and taken off the state's endangered list.

This reclassification comes after more than a decade of data trends based on a population model developed at the University of Washington, according to a WDFW press release.

An animal is considered to be "state endangered" when it is "seriously threatened with extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range within the state," the WDFW continued.

Sensitive species is defined as "vulnerable or declining and likely to become endangered or threatened in a significant portion of its range within the state without cooperative management or removal of threats."

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The state department extended the public’s comment period regarding the proposal to reclassify wolves to early May and the commission meeting in which a decision on reclassification will be proposed today, Lehman noted.

While the wolf population will be relabeled, the WDFW will continue to manage the wolves, "with a focus on reducing conflict between wolves and livestock, emphasizing proactive nonlethal conflict deterrence, achieving statewide recovery objectives, and supporting wolf expansion into all suitable habitat statewide," the press release continued.

For the past 14 years, the wolf population in Washington has continued to increase each year — it went up 20% from 2023-2024.

Two hundred and sixty wolves in 42 packs across Washington were reported last year, according to data collected by the WDFW.

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While the Washington gray wolf population was "virtually eliminated" in the 1930s, there was a significant rebound beginning in 2008.

In April, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list, the Associated Press reported.

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This would mark the first time in Washington that gray wolves will no longer be classified as endangered since the animal initially received state protection in 1980, according to the WDFW.

"Wolves were first listed as endangered by the Washington Department of Game in 1980 because of their historical occurrence in the state and subsequent extirpation," the WDFW said.