As few as 468 western gray squirrels left in Washington amid push for endangered status

WASHINGTON — Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is pushing to label the western gray squirrel as an endangered species.

This comes in the form of a proposal from WDFW to change the squirrel’s listing from its current status as “threatened.” It’s estimated that between 468 and 1,405 western gray squirrels remain, spread across three groups in the Puget Trough, Klickitat, and Okanogan regions.

“None of the three current populations seem to be large enough to avoid a decline in genetic diversity and at least two may suffer from the negative effects of inbreeding,” WDFW says.

The western gray squirrel was first listed as “threatened” in 1993. If the proposal to make it endangered is approved, it would come with a handful of measures designed to conserve the species. That would include higher penalties for harming or killing them.

Seen more often in Washington is the non-native eastern gray squirrel, which can be mistaken for its threatened western counterpart. Eastern gray squirrels were first introduced in the state in the early 1900s, and are the most common tree squirrels found in Washington’s urban areas.

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