Washington cougars are killing wolves

(The Center Square) – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has posted a report about cougar attacks on wolves, which the agency describes as a “phenomenon that has been relatively uncommon in other states.”

“It was uncommon enough that when staff started asking about this, most biologists who studied wolves and cougars couldn’t think of an instance of a wolf being killed by a cougar,” stated WDFW wolf biologist Trent Roussin in the report. “It was unusual during the first 20-plus years of wolf recovery in the Northern Rocky Mountains — Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.”

Since 2013, WDFW staff have documented at least four collared wolves being killed by cougars. Officials say that is more kills than have been documented in the entire Northern Rockies in twice as much time, despite that being a much larger area with many more wolves than Washington.

WDFW officials explained it was likely there are more cases of cougars killing wolves that are not known about.

“Because we generally don’t find or recover carcasses from wolves that aren’t collared, we can’t be sure how many other wolves have died in a similar manner,” Roussin said.

WDFW estimates there are about 1,500 cougars in the state, and a minimum count of 206 wolves in 33 packs, most living in Stevens, Ferry and Pend Oreille counties.

In the report that can be found at www.wdfw.wa.gov, WDFW explains the background on one recent wolf death caused by a cougar. Last summer, the agency received a mortality signal from a collar in the Dominion Pack territory in Stevens County.

Following protocol, Roussin went into the field to track the signal and see what had happened. He found the dead wolf in a steep thickly-treed canyon. After investigating he scene, he determined that a cougar had caused the death.

“From all the signs at the site, it appears the wolf was attacked while traveling down an old overgrown logging road, with the fight ending about 100 yards downhill,” Roussin stated in the report.

An autopsy on the wolf carcass found distinct holes in its skull that indicated it was pierced by strong feline teeth.

“Most of the time you don’t think of cats being able to out-fight dogs,” states the report. “And there aren’t many documented cases of it since wolves started making a recovery in the United States after being pushed to the brink of extinction in the early 1900s.”

Wolves re-introduced in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park eventually found their way into In Washington and the first pack was documented in 2008 in Okanogan County.

In the early years of wolf recovery, WDFW biologists reached out to states that had managed wolf populations longer when they first began noticing interactions between wolves and cougars.

WDFW explains that, because cougars and wolves directly compete for many of the same game animals, their habitats overlap in many parts of North America. In most interactions between the predators, cougars are not so much hunting wolves as trying to get food.

“Much like your domestic cat sneaks up on prey such as mice or rodents, big cats pursue prey in a solitary fashion, using the element of surprise,” states the report. “As in the most recent case where the collared wolf appears to have been surprised on a logging road, cougars are known for striking in areas where slopes, trees, boulders, or other cover gives them an advantage. When a cougar successfully ambushes a wolf traveling alone, the fight can be very short, with the cat finishing it with a quick bite to the head.”

Although cougars have the advantage in a one-on-one fight, wolves tend to live and hunt in packs. Instead of taking on the pack, a cougar’s best defense is to climb a tree, says WDFW.

Research conducted by Dr. L. Mark Elbroch in Wyoming determined that wolves have the best chance of killing a cougar when they animal is less than six months old because they are slower to climb and less coordinated.

WDFW continues to analyze data from its predator-prey project to learn more about interactions between game animals and carnivores in the field. The five-year study is intended to help WDFW officials make informed management decisions for each species.