Eighty-one. That number is the total sum of the known gray wolves living in Oregon. Eighty-one wolves, with only four breeding pairs, ranging across 107,000 square kilometers in eastern Oregon.

Gray wolves were once common in Oregon, occupying most of the state and playing their vital role in it's ecological system. However, due to the actions of ranchers and poachers, wolves were made extinct in Oregon by the 1940s.

Sadly, Oregon has a long and bloody history with wolves. In 1843 the first wolf bounty was established, with the last recorded wolf bounty being paid out in 1947. In short, there has been a deliberate effort on the part of Oregonians to eradicate this beautiful species, and they very nearly succeeded.

But after an absence of over half a century, wolves finally began to take their first tentative steps towards recovery. One of the first sightings came in 1999 and since then their numbers have risen slowly, but surely. 

Now, after waiting so many decades to finally come home, the grey wolves of Oregon are under threat once again.

Despite the fact that there are only eighty-one known wolves currently living in the state, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission have claimed that number to be more than sustainable enough for the current population. As such, they have determined that the wolf is no longer endangered, and have removed it's status as a protected species. 

They do this under the guise of protecting the state's elk and deer populations, as well as livestock. But the fact is that Oregon's 59,000 Rocky Mountain elk and 223,000 mule deer have more than survived the wolf's comeback. So, too, have 1.3 million cattle and 195,000 sheep. 

With their protected status gone, Oregon's tiny wolves population is now at the mercy of any number of threats. Conservationists in Wisconsin have estimated that around 44 percent of Wisconsin wolves aged seven months or older died each year after their protection ended in 2012. 

If you don't want to see Oregon's wolves face the same fate, please consider signing this petition and sharing it with everyone you know. Together we can bring balance back to Oregon's wildlife and save a vital member of our ecological system.