Oregon Public Broadcasting

Washington has only two confirmed wolfpacks. Now, state wildlife officials say they have evidence of a third pack living up in the northeast corner of the state.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife corraled a 50-pound wolf this month near the Canadian border.

It now wears a radio collar so that biologists can keep an eye on it.

The agency's Rocky Beach says the pup appears to be part of a family that may be crossing back and forth between Washington and British Columbia.

Rocky Beach: "When you define a pack, it's where the animals' den is. We can't claim him as being a Washington pack yet until we find out where they're setting up shop."

Washington's other two wolfpacks live in the north Cascades and in northeast Washington.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife is in the process of finalizing a state wolf management plan that would go into effect once the population reaches a critical mass.