Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has confirmed they killed a juvenile member of the Old Profanity Territory (OPT) pack.

The young wolf, weighing 50 pounds, was spotted and killed from a helicopter on September 16.

The kill order was issued following livestock depredations on public lands.

Beyond being cruel and in violation of the desires of a majority of Americans, lethal action (i.e., killing wolves) is not working.

The OPT wolves reside on land that was once home to the Profanity Peak pack, a family that was obliterated by WDFW officials in 2016. Their goal was to stop livestock attacks in the area despite scientific studies suggesting killing wolves can increase the risk of conflict, rather than a decrease. Two years later, WDFW is killing wolves in the same area.

WDFW has been killing wolves over three consecutive years as a solution, yet depredations on livestock continue.

Is it time for WDFW to listen to science and the desires of the American public and stop killing wolves, state-endangered wolves no less, to benefit the profit margins of a private business?