Current Numbers: 7
Pack Status: Active. Designated in 2008.
The Wenaha Pack was the first gray wolf pack discovered in Oregon since gray wolf reintroduction efforts began in the Rockies. Though this pack has historically spent time in Washington, most of the pack’s locations, including the den, are in Oregon; therefore, this pack is counted as an Oregon pack. They were discovered with pups on July 21st, 2008.
A gray male of the Wenaha Pack, OR6 was collared on August 4, 2010. At the time, the collaring operation was said to be the most extensive and exhaustive ever carried out in Oregon. OR6 weighed 97 pounds, but sadly, he didn’t live to grow any bigger. Just a few days later, OR6 was killed by a poacher. A $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of his killer remains unclaimed.
In the same year, two Wenaha pups were trapped and released, confirming that at least two pups were born that year. The following year, trail camera footage captured images of wolves from the Wenaha Pack, including at least four adult wolves. Later in 2011, an image of a pup was captured on a trail cam, confirming at least one pup for 2011.
By 2012, the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife documented seven pups in the Wenaha Pack. Genetic test results found that OR12, the breeding male of the Wenaha Pack, is a progeny of the Imnaha Pack (OR2 and OR4). OR12 is the first wolf confirmed to have been born into one pack in Oregon (Imnaha), then dispersed and successfully bred in a different Oregon pack.
In 2013, parvovirus hit the Wenaha Pack. Two wolves — OR19 (a yearling female) and a male pup — were confirmed to have died from parvovirus, and this disease likely affected the other pups as well. These were the first documented cases of death by parvovirus for wolves in Oregon.
In late 2014, OR21, a collared female wolf from the pack, dispersed into the Sled Springs Unit where she paired up with a male wolf and established the Sled Springs Pack.
By the end of 2015, no collared wolves remained in this pack after OR13 dispersed in February and was later found killed by poison.
In 2016 and 2017, the pair produced at least four pups that survived to the end of the year. In 2018, reproduction was not confirmed. The breeding female disappeared in the summer of 2018. She was at least ten years old, and her condition appeared poor in remote photos.
A new breeding female was leading the pack in 2020 — see her photo in the gallery below. A radio-collared male wolf (WA90M) from the Grouse Flats Pack in Washington dispersed into Oregon and joined the pack in 2019. At least two pups survived to the end of 2019 and were counted in the annual survey.
Two more pups were born that survived through the end of 2020, when the pack was again counted as a breeding pair. ODFW reported radio-collar data showing a 241 square mile use area for the pack, with 86% of data points located on public lands and 14% on private lands.
In 2021, the Wenaha Pack produced three pups that survived to the end of the year and was counted as a breeding pair, with seven wolves in the pack.
In 2022, the Wenaha Pack produced five pups that survived until the end of the year and was counted as a breeding pair, with eight wolves in the pack.
In 2023, the Wenaha Pack produced at least two pups that survived until the end of the year and was counted as a breeding pair, with nine wolves in the pack. The breeding female of the pack sadly died of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in 2023.
The Wenaha Pack was not a breeding pair after both breeders died in 2024. The breeding male was killed by poison. The cause of death for the new breeding female was unknown, and one of her pups was also found dead, presumably of starvation/dehydration. A total of eight wolves, including at least one pup, were documented during the winter count.
Photos
Useful Links
Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife – Wenaha Pack
