Wolf Status
Wolf Status
At the moment wolves are making a recovery. They are controlled by the federal Endangered Species Act in most states. This gives them protection from being killed by humans.
In Differant States
Oregon
At the present there are no wolves actually living in Oregon although there is a possibility a den just has not been found yet. There are some that have walked across the state border from Idaho but returned after a while. There have been 3 confirmed wolf sightings. One was in 1999 and the other two were in 2000. These sightings involved a wolf being captured and two wolves being killed. There have also been over 200 unconfirmed sightings between 1999 and 2004. These unconfirmed sightings happened when someone thought they saw a wolf but there was not enough information to prove that is was a wolf and not a dog or coyote.
Idaho
In 1995, 15 wolves were introduced into Idaho. 20 more were released in 1996. Since then wolves have been thriving in Idaho. There are even so many that they are moving away from each other because of a process called natural dispersal. Natural dispersal is when animals move away from each other in search of food water and shelter. This is why the wolves walked across the state border.
Yellowstone Area
In 1995, 14 wolves were captured in Canada and were released into Yellowstone National Park. This reintroduction attempt overshadowed the Idaho releases because many people said that Yellowstone had more potential. Presently there are many packs with about a dozen wolves in each pack living in Yellowstone. This is a good sized population to have.