BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Canis lupus
Grey Wolf
| Scientific Name: | Canis lupus |
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| English Name: | Grey Wolf |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S4S5 |
| Date Status Assigned: | April 24, 2015 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | March 14, 2025 |
| Reasons: | This species is widespread and common, particularly in the north and central part of the province. The population has rebounded after extirpation in the south. There are limited threats. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | G = 200,000-2,500,000 square km |
| Range Extent Comments: | Ranges throughout most of BC, especially in the central and northern parts. Also occurs on Vancouver Island, but not on Haida Gwaii (Hatler et al. 2008; GBIF, accessed 28 February 2025). |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | U = Unknown |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | U = Unknown |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Population Size: | EF = 2,500 - 100,000 individuals |
| Comments: |
Establishing reliable population estimates and trends is difficult because wolves typically live in forested areas, are highly mobile with large home ranges, and are frequently nocturnal (B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks 2014o). The B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (2014o) present two population ranges using two independent population estimates; one using density estimates, the other prey density estimates (Kuzyk and Hatter 2014). These two ranges were calculated and combined with an overall estimate of 8500 which is still used in the BC Government fact sheet from 2017. In 2011 the provincial estimate was 8,688 (95% CI=5898?11,760) wolves (7?13 wolves/1,000 km2) (via Kuzyk and Hatter 2014). The wolf population was previously estimated to be 6,300 (2,500?11,000) in 1979 (B.C. Ministry of Environment 1979) and 8,100 in 1991 (Theberge 1991). Changes in estimates over time likely reflect changes in both the abundance of wolves and in the precision and the method of estimation. |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | CD = Medium - low |
| Comments: | Threats are based on the 2014 Management Plan (B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks 2014o) with updates to section 5. This updated the 2014 Management Plan final threats score from Low to Medium Low. |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | GH = Relatively Stable to increase of <25% |
| Comments: |
Wolves were considered extirpated in much of the Kootenay, Okanagan, and part of the Thompson regions in the 1970s (B.C. Ministry of Environment 1979) but have now re-established as far south as northern Washington, Idaho, and Montana (Sime et al. 2010; Wiles et al. 2011; Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Nez Perce Tribe 2013; all in B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations 2014o). Mowat et al. (2022) modeled this population growth and suggested an increase in relative wolf abundance through the 1990s, with relative stability in abundance between 2010 and 2020. |
| Long-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: |
The 1979 draft wolf management plan (B.C. Ministry of Environment 1979) stated that predator control activities (bounties and government-sanctioned wolf poisoning) resulted in a decline in the provincial wolf population, which reached a minimum in the late 1950s. The population appeared to start increasing after bounties were removed in 1955 and when poisoning in wilderness areas ended in 1961. |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Environmental Specificity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Ramsay, L. (2025), Nagorsen, D. and L. Ramsay (2015) Teucher, A. (2010) |
| Date: | February 28, 2025 |
| References | |
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B.C. Ministry of Environment. 1979. Preliminary wolf management plan for British Columbia. Fish and Wildlife Branch, Victoria, BC |
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Kuzyk, G.W. and Hatter, I.W., 2014. Using ungulate biomass to estimate abundance of wolves in British Columbia. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 38(4), pp.878-883. |
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Theberge, J.B. 1991. Ecological classification, status, and management of the Gray Wolf, Canis lupus, in Canada. Can. Field-Nat. 105:459?463. |
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B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. 2014o. Management Plan for the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) in British Columbia. B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Victoria, BC. 48 pp.
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GBIF.org. 2025y. GBIF. Occurrence download for Canis lupus Accessed 28 February 2025.
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Hatler, D.F., Nagorsen, D.W. and Beal, A.M., 2008. Carnivores of British Columbia (Vol. 5). Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Royal BC Museum.
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Mowat, G., Vander Vennen, L., Anderson, M., Bridger, M., White, S., Marshall, S., MacAulay, K. and O?Donovan, S., 2022. An evaluation of the accuracy of licensed wolf harvest data and the correlation with population trends in British Columbia. Prov. BC, Victoria. B.C. Tech. Rep. 137.
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2025. Conservation Status Report: Canis lupus. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 9, 2026).