Sad News – The Wolf OR-7 Presumed Dead

For Immediate Release

April, 16, 2020

According to a just released 2019 status report by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon’s wolf population has grown but its most famous member may have died. ODFW biologists presume that the wolf OR-7 who has not been observed in many months died of natural causes. OR-7 was last photographed in the fall and was considered to be very old for a wolf in the wild at 11 years of age. 

Wolves return to the West Coast
OR-7 was the first wolf in southern Oregon and northern California in nearly a century.  After a 1,000-mile journey, OR-7 paired with a female wolf from northeast Oregon, establishing the Rogue Pack in southern Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. Together, the pair has produced several successful litters, forming the source of many of the wolves that are just now recovering on the west coast.

“OR-7’s journey across thousands of miles captured national attention because he offered a story of hope and recovery,” said Joseph Vaile of the conservation group KS Wild. “We connected with this story of a wild wolf traveling across a huge area in search of a home and a mate. 

Work to protect wolves and ranchers
OR-7 and the Rogue Pack have been identified as the source of livestock depredations in eastern Jackson and western Klamath Counties. State and federal biologists, conservation groups, and many ranchers have long advocated for actions to ward off depredations. Coexistence measures like guard dogs, fladry, and a creative approach using an inflatable tube man proved to be short-term solutions. 

KS Wild, in collaboration with a local rancher and the US Department of Fish & Wildlife, raised funding last year through an online “GoFundMe” campaign to build a fence to keep the wolves in the Rogue Pack safe. An additional step was taken to protect the Rogue Pack when KS Wild teamed up with state and federal biologists and a rancher to build a three-mile long fence around a ranch near the wolves center of activity.

“The Rogue Pack is located near a couple of long-standing ranches, and we want to take action to ensure the depredation of livestock does not become learned behavior for the Pack,” said Vaile. The construction of a large and tall fence around the perimeter of the ranch has already proved too big a burden for the wolves (see photos below courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife).

“He will leave a lasting mark on wolf recovery. The best thing we can do to honor the legacy of OR-7 is to continue to work on wolf recovery and co-existence where wolves have recovered,” said Vaile.