Not waiting for an invitation from biologists who would trap, transport and then release them, Canadian wolves in 2008 trotted across the border into the state of Washington — all because they liked the territory.
Writer Mitch Friedman tells the story of how that spontaneous recolonization has been a firm success, thanks to the state and an environmental nonprofit paying for deterrence. The most successful tactic has been paying range riders to block wolves from a rancher’s cattle.
But Friedman says the story isn’t over: Facing a tight budget, Washington halved its wolf funding in 2025, and there are now fewer riders and angrier ranchers.