Wolves in Western Oregon, including the famed traveling wolf OR-7, would lose federal protection under a decision likely to be announced this week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Associated Press reports that acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt plans to propose removing all gray wolves in the Lower 48 states from protection under the Endangered Species Act.

That would mean wolves in Western Oregon, which includes anywhere from 10 to 13 animals and two packs, would lose federal protection and be subject to state laws, including lethal action, officials said.

More:Feds plan to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48

“We haven’t gotten any official confirmation, and it’s likely this would be a drawn-out process, but if protections were lifted all of Oregon’s wolves would fall under the state management plan,” Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy said. “We’re ready to handle this if the federal rules are lifted.”

Oregon’s statewide wolf population sits at around 124 known wolves, the vast majority in northeastern Oregon. That number will be updated this April.

Western Oregon’s population of known wolves is small, and primarily includes the Rogue Pack (7 wolves) in southwest Oregon, the White River wolves (2 to 4 wolves) near Mount Hood and the Silver Lake wolf.

OR-7, a wolf that traveled wide distances to find a mate and generated international attention, is the lead male of the Rogue Pack.

More:Oregon wolf population rises to at least 124; Gov. Brown calls growth 'encouraging'

Wolves in Western Oregon currently are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act and can’t have lethal action taken against them even if they attack livestock.

Without that federal protection, it’s a somewhat different story.

The wolves in Western Oregon would be subject to Phase I of Oregon’s state wolf plan, Dennehy said. It prioritizes conservation but does allow for lethal action to be considered following four attacks on livestock in a six-month period.

“There’s a lot of oversight, and we do require trying non-lethal deterrence measures and a lot of different things before lethal action is considered,” Dennehy said.

Even so, the Rogue Pack has been blamed for attacking livestock seven times in Jackson County since late October, according to the Mail Tribune.

They've caused enough problems that local rancher Ted Birdseye is using an inflatable "dancing tube man" to try and keep the wolves away.

Dennehy said she wasn't sure, if ODFW took over management of Western Oregon wolves, whether they'd consider past attacks as part of an analysis for lethal action.

Oregon environmental groups, already in a battle with ODFW over a new version of the Oregon Wolf plan slated for release this month, blasted the potential federal decision.

More:$15,500 reward offered for information on illegal wolf OR-33 killing in southwest Oregon

“It is far too early to declare wolves recovered and to strip protections from them in the Western two-thirds of Oregon,” Oregon Wild spokesman Arran Robertson said. “Removing wolves from the endangered species list would turn their management entirely over to Oregon’s embattled ODFW, which continues to push for hunting and trapping of the state’s 124 known wolves.”

Dennehy said that although the original wolf plan called for "controlled take" in phase III of wolf recovery, which could include using hunters in some instances, ODFW was not considering that course of action in the immediate future.

More:Proposal would allow hunting 'problem wolves' in Oregon

National environmental groups said a lawsuit opposing the proposal was likely.

Some Oregon hunting and ranching groups applauded the move.

“Removing wolves from the federal endangered species act should be seen as a success story," said Dominic Aiello, president of the Oregon Outdoors Council. "It means the process we have in place to prevent extinction works.

"Removing wolves from the federal ESA will allow more state control over wolf management and ensure Oregon has a sustainable wolf population for generations to come.”

This story will be updated.