New wolf pack discovered in Stevens County | News

A new wolf pack has been confirmed by the Washington Department of Fish and Game (WDFW). Biologists captured footage of five gray wolf pups roaming an area in southern Stevens County, east of the town of Fruitland, and north of the Spokane Indian Reservation. They're calling them the Huckleberry pack after the nearby Huckleberry Mountain.

The Huckleberry pack is Washington's seventh confirmed pack, with an additional five suspected, but unconfirmed packs in the state.

The discovery comes on the heels of a wolf attack on sheep in northwestern Spokane County near Nine Mile Falls. Based on the tracks and trauma to the sheep carcass at the scene of the attack, WDFW officials confirmed the attack was from a wolf and are working on compensating the livestock producer for the loss.

The state's new wolf management plan implemented last December, allows for the full market value compensation of lost livestock if the case is confirmed as wolf depredation.

Regional WDFW director and wolf policy lead, Steve Pozzanghera, encourages ranchers to contact the WDFW immediately if they suspect they have lost livestock to predation by any kind of animal. To contact the WDFW call 1-877-933-9847.