FERRY COUNTY, WA (WCMH) — Wildlife officials in Washington state will be exterminating 11 endangered gray wolves after it was determined the animals were preying on area cows.

According to NBC News, there are only 90 gray wolves in the entire state of Washington, forming 19 packs.

The move to kill the wolves came after dead calves began showing up in an area that’s home to one of the wolf packs.

This particular pack, called the Profanity Peak pack, consists of six adults and five cubs that roam the northern half of the Colville Confederated Tribe reservation in Ferry County – according to a Fish and Wildlife document (PDF) obtained by NBC News.

“The department is committed to wolf recovery, but we also have a shared responsibility to protect livestock from repeated depredation by wolves,” said Donny Martorello, who directs wolf policy for the State Fish and Wildlife Department.

However, some are questioning the need to exterminate the entire pack.

“I was told that removal of half the pack would make a difference, and now we’re being told they are going to remove the entire pack,” said Democratic state Sen. Kevin Ranker, a former chairman of the state Senate Natural Resources Committee. “They haven’t implemented their first plan.”