WDFW kills 3 more wolves in OPT pack | Livestock | capitalpress.com

Two pups and one adult in the OPT wolfpack in northeast Washington have been lethally removed, Fish and Wildlife reported Tuesday.

The department has now killed six wolves since the pack started attacking cattle in the Kettle River Range in Ferry County last September. The department removed two wolves last fall and one in July.

Fish and Wildlife, in a statement, said it removed the two pups and one adult in the past week. Before then, the pack had four adults and at least four pups, according to the department.

The department said the lethal-removal operation is continuing.

An animal-welfare group, Maryland-based Center for a Humane Economy, had sought a restraining order to block the operation. A King County Superior Court commissioner declined to issue a preliminary injunction. Another hearing is scheduled for Friday.

The OPT has killed or injured at least 29 cows or calves since Sept. 5, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind on Friday authorized the department to lethally remove the remaining two wolves in the Togo pack, also preying on cattle in Ferry County. The department has not reported killing any wolves in that pack.

via WDFW kills 3 more wolves in OPT pack | Livestock | capitalpress.com