Remote Camera Data Has Idaho Wolf Population At Roughly 1,000

The most current estimates regarding the wolf population in the state of Idaho have been made public following months of reviewing camera data by the Department of Fish and Game.

According to the most recent data, it's estimated that there are approximately 1,000 wolves roaming the forests and rural landscape of the Gem State. The findings were shared in a January 23 story by the Associated Press.

Statistics related to the decrease in the animal population from 2019-2020 due to hunting are not exactly known, but the total number of wolves documented in the summer of 2019 was thought to be close to 1,500. State fish and game officials have been monitoring hundreds of cameras placed throughout Idaho.

Wildlife officials are backing the findings using information provided by more than 13 million photographs, which were taken by roughly 700 cameras over the span of many months, most placed in remote areas.

More than 130 wolves were trapped in the state of Idaho between September 2018 and March 2019. Gray wolves can be found through Idaho, but the majority occupy the central portion of the state.

The number of wolves in Idaho have remained, for the most part, stable for the past four to five years, according to the data. In 2011, the animals were taken off the state's endangered species list.

Earlier in January, state lawmakers proposed the creation of wolf-free zones, due to the fact there were more than 170 wolf attacks on livestock in 2019. For more information on statistics regarding the wolf population in Idaho, click here.