6 wolf pups caught on Warm Springs Res. trail cam

MOUNT HOOD, Ore. (AP) — Officials have captured on a trail camera six wolf pups have born this year to Oregon’s White River wolf pack on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation southeast of Mount Hood.

Biologists with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs posted footage of the pups from a trail camera that was shared on Facebook by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Oregon.

The White River Pack is located just southeast of Mount Hood and east of Timothy Lake.

With five members in 2018, it was one of the few confirmed packs in Western Oregon, along with southwest Oregon’s Rogue Pack.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife carnivore biologist Derek Broman told the Statesman Journal that the current size of the White River pack is 11 animals.

The latest wolf count shows Oregon is home to at least 137 wolves. The majority are clustered in northeast Oregon.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports you can hear the six new wolf pups as they listen to other wolves howl in the distance. The USFWS says the promise of food could be the motivation for the enthusiasm.

The White River wolf pack’s territory covers part of the Warm Springs Reservation, about 20 miles south of Mount Hood. The pack was officially recognized earlier this year after producing three surviving pups in 2018.

The White River pack is located in an area of the state where gray wolves are still protected under the Endangered Species Act.