PENDLETON, Ore. – Biologists put a radio collar on a wolf from the Walla Walla pack for the first time, a move expected to make tracking the pack easier.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlfie staff captured the 48-pound female pup, attached the collar and released her unharmed on Friday.

“We’ve known about the Walla Walla pack since January and at least two pups since summer, but the collar will make it much easier to document the pack’s size and get a sense of its movements,” said Mark Kirsch, ODFW district wildlife biologist in Pendleton.

The wolf, dubbed OR-10 as the tenth wolf collared in the state, is part of a pack living in northern Umatilla County near Oregon’s border with Washington.

Unlike previous captures, OR-10 was captured by district staff instead of the state’s wolf program staff.

“As wolves expand their range in Oregon, more work will be handled by our district staff,” said Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf program coordinator. “Livestock producers and others are encouraged to work directly with district staff as they do for other wildlife in their area.”