The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released preliminary wolf population figures for 2003. The official count is made at the end of the year. Despite their preliminary nature, the numbers are interesting.
Total Northern Rockies population estimate now is 747 wolves compared to 663 at the end of 2002. Wolf opponents have argued that the wolf population will continue to double each year as it did in the late 1990s. Soon there would 2000, 4000, and even 8000 wolves!
Almost all of the growth since the end of 2002 has been in the central Idaho Recovery area where the population increased from 284 at the end of '02 to 362 now. The population actually declined in the NW Montana/N. Idaho recovery area from 108 wolves to just 90. The Greater Yellowstone area which includes part of Montana, part of Wyoming, and part of Idaho (although no wolves in the Idaho portion) grew from 271 to 295 wolves.
Breaking the populations figure down by state, rather than by recovery areas, we get Wyoming 240 now, 217 end of 2002; Montana 161 now, 183 end of 2002; Idaho 346 now, 263 end of 2002.
Because all the pups are born in April and May, the population at the end of 2003 will be lower than the current 747 wolves.
The Billings Gazette picked this story up on Sept. 23. "Growth in wolf numbers leveling off." By Mike Stark. Billings Gazette Wyoming Bureau.
I have been predicting for a couple years that the ultimate wolf population in Idaho will stop and then fluctuate between about 300 - 350 and Wyoming between 250 -300. RM
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