Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officials have issued a kill order for the Togo pack, a family that consists of two adults and their pups. The kill order was issued following livestock depredations in Togo territory, including on U.S. Forest Service land, over the course of 10 months.

Lethal action is consistent with Washington’s Wolf Management Plan of 2011 and with the department’s policy that allows for the removal of wolves if they prey on livestock three times in a 30-day period or four times in a 10-month period.

WDFW killed state endangered wolves in 2016 and 2017 in order to “change wolf pack behavior to reduce the potential for recurrent wolf depredations on livestock,” yet livestock attacks continue.

Is it time for WDFW to listen to science and the desires of the American public and stop killing wolves, on America’s public lands no less, in order to benefit the profit margins of a private business?

UPDATE: A Washington judge has issued a temporary injunction, thus preventing WDFW from carrying out the kill order, in response to a lawsuit filed by Center for Biological Diversity and Cascadia Wildlands. More information to follow.