Repopulation of wolves in California
{{Short description|Natural resettlement of wolves into California, US}}
{{use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
In late December 2011, OR-7, a male gray wolf from Oregon, became the first confirmed wild wolf in California since 1924, when wolves were considered extirpated from the state. The first resident wolf pack was confirmed in 2015, after two adults migrated from Oregon and had five pups. Since then, more wolves have entered the state and their population has grown. {{As of|2024|November}} there have been ten wolf packs in the state since OR-7's entry.{{Cite news |last=Baitinger |first=Brooke |date=November 19, 2024 |title=Apex predators recorded near California national park a century after being wiped out |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article295792004.html |access-date=November 19, 2024 |work=The Sacramento Bee}} It is likely that more wolves are dispersing undetected through portions of their historic habitat in California.
Precursors in Oregon
In the 1960s and 1970s, national awareness of environmental issues and consequences led to the passage of laws designed to correct the mistakes of the past and help prevent similar mistakes in the future.{{NPS |title=Wolf Restoration - Yellowstone National Park |url=https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-restoration.htm |access-date=2023-05-18 |publisher=U.S. National Park Service |language=en}} Wolves in the United States were protected under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1978 as they were in danger of going extinct and needed protection to aid their recovery.{{Citation |last=Guertin |first=Stephen |date=2016-09-21 |title=Testimony Regarding The Status of the Federal Government's Management of Wolves Before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations |url=https://www.doi.gov/ocl/management-wolves |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Department of the Interior |language=en}}{{Cite news |date = 2020-10-29 |title = Gray Wolves To Be Removed From Endangered Species List |url = https://www.wuwm.com/environment/2020-10-29/gray-wolves-to-be-removed-from-endangered-species-list |first = Nathan |last = Rott |access-date = 2021-04-21 |publisher = WUWM |location = Milwaukee |language = en }} Wolves were reintroduced to Idaho in the 1990s and expanded their range into the northern Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest.{{r|KQED 2012-02-05}} Wolves crossed the Snake River from Idaho to Oregon by swimming or finding a bridge.{{Cite web|last=Siler|first=Wes|date=2016-04-11|title=Remembering OR4: A Eulogy for a Wolf|url=https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/remembering-or4-eulogy-wolf/|access-date=2021-08-20|website=Outside Online|language=en-US}} The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife started studying their behavior in the wild by live-trapping the growing wolf population in Oregon and fitting them with GPS tracking collars that provide daily satellite position reports. State biologists gave a sequential designation to each wolf with a collar.{{Cite news|last=Barnard|first=Jeff |agency=The Associated Press|date=May 31, 2014|title=2 wolves in northeast Oregon fitted with tracking collars|url=https://www.bendbulletin.com/nation/2-wolves-in-northeast-oregon-fitted-with-tracking-collars/article_002606d7-e44a-50eb-8ac8-d116de0d9be5.html|access-date=2021-03-05|work=The Bulletin (Bend)|language=en}} The vast majority remain clustered in their historic range in the northeast corner of the state, where the forests between the high mountains and populated areas are full of elk and deer.{{Cite news|last=LeGue|first=Chandra|date=February 27, 2020|title=The Eastern Forests are Calling|url=https://www.eugeneweekly.com/2020/02/27/the-eastern-forests-are-calling/|access-date=2021-03-06|work=Eugene Weekly|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|last=Urness|first=Zach|date=June 5, 2019|title=Oregon wolf plan updated, detailing when wolves can be killed|url=https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2019/06/05/oregon-wolf-plan-hunting-vote-odfw-commission-oregon-department-of-fish-and-wildlife-wolves/1342403001/|access-date=2021-03-05|work=Statesman Journal|language=en-US}} In 2010, state biologists noticed wolves in the Cascade Range. However, they were unable to determine if the wolves were single dispersing animals wandering through or were starting to occupy the area since individual wolves will roam searching for a mate and new territory.{{Cite news|last=Barnard|first=Jeff |agency=Associated Press|date=January 18, 2010|title=Cascade wolf sightings increase|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jan/18/cascade-wolf-sightings-increase/|access-date=2021-03-06|work=The Spokesman-Review}} As the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) monitored the expansion of wolves in Oregon, they began in 2011 to prepare for the possibility of wolves recolonizing the state.{{harvp|California CDFW|2011|p=4}} While the state did not have a program to reintroduce wolves, the assumption was that the natural expansion would eventually have wolves crossing the Oregon–California border.{{Cite news|last=Arey|first=Ashley|date=2016-12-19|title=CDFW releases final wolf management plan for California|url=https://www.lassennews.com/cdfw-releases-final-wolf-management-plan-california/|access-date=2021-04-08|work=Lassen News|language=en-US}} With its dense forests, plentiful deer and other prey, and vast expanses of wilderness where roads do not pose a fatal threat, California has areas of excellent habitat for wolves.{{r|TG 2022-12-1}}
Initial entry
OR-7 was the first confirmed wild wolf in California since 1924.{{Cite report |last=Jurek |first=Ronald M |date=1994 |title=The Former Distribution of Gray Wolves in California |publisher=California Department of Fish and Game |url=https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=25186}} In late December 2011, the data sent by his GPS tracking collar showed he had crossed the Oregon–California border. Nicknamed Journey,{{r|SSJ 2020/04/18}} he was a male gray wolf that migrated from the Wallowa Mountains in the northeastern corner of Oregon.{{Cite web |last=Cockle |first=Richard |date=2012-03-03 |title=OR-7 returns to Oregon apparently still looking for love |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2012/03/or-7_returns_to_oregon_apparen.html |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=The Oregonian |language=en}} It is believed OR-7's parents came from Idaho after wolves were reintroduced in the northern Rockies in the 1990s.{{Cite news |last=Alexander |first=Kurtis |date=2024-10-13 |title=A new wolf pack, irate ranchers, and the astonishing comeback of California's most celebrated predator |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/wolf-pack-wolves-quincy-19748024.php |access-date=2024-10-14 |work=San Francisco Chronicle}} After leaving his pack, he wandered generally southwest for more than {{convert|1000|mi|km|sigfig=2}} through Oregon, and entered northern California. He spent much of 2012 exploring northeastern California in a circuitous path across seven different counties that eventually covered thousands of miles. In March 2013, he returned to Oregon and was found in 2014 raising a litter of pups in Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest. Being so near to the California border, he crossed back and forth repeatedly.{{r|SB 2014-06-04}} He is presumed to have died at about 11 years old, an above-average lifespan for a wild wolf, where the usual lifespan is 5-6 years.{{r|SSJ 2020/04/18}}
The Shasta Pack was the first resident pack in the state in more than a century, due to the presence of five pups in 2015. They lived in Siskiyou County, just south of the Oregon–California border.{{r|CDFW 2017/07/05}} The pack's alpha female came from the same pack as OR-7, the two wolves being siblings.{{Cite news |date=2015-10-23 |title=We Know a Little More About California's Wolves' Family Tree |url=https://www.pbssocal.org/redefine/we-know-a-little-more-about-californias-wolves-family-tree |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=PBS SoCal |language=en}} The CDFW confirmed the wolves had established territory in California with footage from a trail camera in 2015. Biologists believed the two adult wolves migrated into the state from southern Oregon.{{cite news|last=House|first=Kelly|title=California Has Its First Wolf Pack in More Than 100 Years|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/08/california_has_its_first_wolf.html|newspaper=The Oregonian|via=Oregon Live|date=August 20, 2015|access-date=August 23, 2015|archive-date=August 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823000844/http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/08/california_has_its_first_wolf.html|url-status=live}} One of the grown-up pups was found in northwestern Nevada in 2016, the first wolf verified in Nevada in nearly 100 years.{{Cite news|last=|author=Staff/NDOT Release|date=March 24, 2017|title=Wolf sighting confirmed in northwestern Nevada|language=en|work=KOLO News|url=https://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Wolf-sighting-confirmed-in-northwestern-Nevada-417054733.html|access-date=2021-03-05}}{{Cite news|last=Dowd|first=Katie|date=2021-03-02|title=For first time in over 100 years, a wolf is seen near Yosemite|url=https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/california-wolf-oregon-yosemite-OR-93-15986349.php|access-date=2021-03-05|work=SFGate|language=en-US}} They were involved in what was possibly the first modern predation in California when they may have killed a calf they ate in November 2015.{{r|SFC 2018-05-09}} Wolves are typically scavengers so it is common for a cow to die of disease and then the wolves will come.{{r|NYT 2022-03-11}} Ranchers have argued for the right to protect their livestock, but penalties will be imposed for the killing, shooting, injuring, or taking of wolves in California.{{Cite news|last=Grant|first=Richard|date=April 8, 2021|title=Gray wolves return to California, exciting environmentalists and angering ranchers|url=https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/blm-george-floyd-criminal-justice-covid-data-breach/gray-wolves-return-california|access-date=2021-05-05|work=KCRW|language=en}} The pack disappeared under unexplained circumstances.{{r|CNN 2020/07/29}}
Natural expansion
The Lassen Pack, living in Lassen National Forest{{Cite press release|url=https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2018/lassen-wolf-pack-07-28-2018.php|title=California's Lassen Wolf Pack Has Pups Second Straight Year|publisher=Center for Biological Diversity|date=July 28, 2018|access-date=2018-08-03}} was confirmed in the fall of 2016. The first breeding male of the Lassen Pack was CA-08M, son of OR-7.{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Wolves-in-Northern-California-aren-t-just-12898718.php|title=Wolves in Northern California aren't just loping through anymore; they're here to stay|date=2018-05-09|work=San Francisco Chronicle|first=Peter |last=Fimrite|access-date=2018-08-03|language=en-US}}{{r|CBD 2018-07-28}} In June 2017, CDFW biologists fitted the pack's breeding female, known as LAS01F, with a tracking collar.{{cite news|title=CDFW Confirms Presence of Wolf Pack in Lassen County, Collars Adult Wolf|url=https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/cdfw-confirms-presence-of-wolf-pack-in-lassen-county-collars-adult-wolf/|work=CDFW News|publisher=California Department of Fish and Wildlife|date=July 5, 2017|access-date=August 3, 2017|archive-date=August 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803222309/https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/cdfw-confirms-presence-of-wolf-pack-in-lassen-county-collars-adult-wolf/}} She is not related to known Oregon wolves, and genetic analysis indicates that she likely dispersed from some other part of the northern Rocky Mountain wolf population.{{r|PN 2020-08-10}} Born in 2014, possibly in Wyoming where she has half-siblings, she traveled {{convert|800 |miles}} or more through the Great Basin Desert in Utah and Nevada, or a much longer journey through Idaho and Oregon.{{Cite news|last=Skropanic|first=Jessica|date=August 6, 2019|title=Fish and wildlife releases video of gray wolf litter born to Lassen Pack|url=https://www.redding.com/story/news/2019/08/06/california-fish-and-wildlife-releases-video-lassen-pack-gray-wolf-pups/1937906001/|access-date=2021-03-06|work=Redding Record Searchlight|language=en-US}}{{r|SM 2021-04}} The CDFW and the U.S. Forest Service traced the four pups from this second pack in 2017 to OR-7.{{Cite news|last=Urness|first=Zach|date=April 19, 2020|title=OR-7, the most famous wolf in the West, represented promise and peril of grey wolves in Oregon|url=https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2020/04/18/oregon-wolf-population-hunting-or-7-grey-wolves-wildlife/5151948002/|access-date=2021-02-02|work=Salem Statesman Journal|language=en}}{{cite news|last=Theen|first=Andrew|title=OR-7 Is a Grandpa to a New California Wolf Pack|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/07/or7_is_a_grandpa_to_a_new_cali.html|newspaper=The Oregonian|via=OregonLive|date=July 6, 2017|access-date=August 2, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=August 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802205552/http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/07/or7_is_a_grandpa_to_a_new_cali.html|url-status=live}} The pair went on to have five pups in 2018, and four pups in 2019. CA-08M had not been detected with the pack since spring 2019. A black-colored adult male is the new breeding male, LAS16M, who began traveling with the pack as early as June 2019.{{r|PN 2020-08-10}} The pack had two litters of four pups each in 2020 with LAS09F, a two-year-old female, also giving birth.{{r|CBD 2021-08-03}} LAS09F had six pups in 2021, but LAS01F had not been detected since fall 2020.{{r|CDFW 2021-08-03}} Most of the Lassen Pack's activity has been tracked across the western parts of Lassen County, and the northernmost part of Plumas County.{{Cite news|last=Sabalow|first=Ryan|date=December 23, 2020|title=An endangered wolf was shot to death in California. Then the armed agents showed up|work=Sacramento Bee|url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article247380032.html|access-date=March 1, 2021}}{{r|PN 2020-08-10}} LAS13M, a collared young male from the pack, journeyed to Lake County, Oregon, in early October 2020.{{Cite news|agency=The Associated Press|date=2020-10-29|title=Gray wolf from California pack spotted in southern Oregon|url=https://kval.com/news/local/gray-wolf-from-california-pack-spotted-in-southern-oregon|access-date=2021-04-01|work=KVAL}} The Lassen Pack survived the Dixie Fire when it burned through their home range in August 2021.{{Cite news|last=Sabalow|first=Ryan|date=August 27, 2021|title=California wolf pack spotted alive amid destruction of Dixie Fire. 'It's total luck|work=The Sacramento Bee|url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article253770843.html}}
By 2019, 15 wolves in three different groups had become established in the Cascade Range of Oregon.{{Cite news |date=April 8, 2019 |title=Oregon Wolf Population Increases, With Jump In Livestock Attacks |url=https://www.khsu.org/post/oregon-wolf-population-increases-jump-livestock-attacks |access-date=2021-04-08 |work=KHSU |language=en}} Northern California is easily accessible as the Cascades extend southerly into the state.{{r|SSJ 2020/04/18}} Wolves leave a scent trail that they can use to communicate and retrace their wanderings. Wildlife experts explain that it is possible for other wolves to follow said urine scent and these initial wolf sojourns can open up new territory.{{Cite news |last=Weiser |first=Matt |date=2014-06-04 |title=Meet wolf OR7's new pups; California moves to protect species |url=http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article2600532.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226192043/http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article2600532.html |archive-date=2016-12-26 |access-date=2021-03-06 |work=The Sacramento Bee}}{{Cite news |last=Young |first=Amalie |date=2002-02-10 |title=Wolves at Cattle Ranchers' Door |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-feb-10-me-27262-story.html |access-date=2021-03-06 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |quote=Wild wolves could follow the scent trail left by those early explorers...}}
OR-85, a two-year-old male, left the Mt. Emily Pack in Oregon and traveled to Siskiyou County in November 2020.{{Cite news|date=2021-02-04|title=New pair of gray wolves spotted in Northern California|url=https://ktla.com/news/california/new-pair-of-gray-wolves-spotted-in-northern-california/|access-date=2021-12-22|work=KTLA|agency=Associated Press|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|last=Kinkade|first=Skye|date=March 16, 2021|title=California wolves update: newly named 'Whaleback Pair' carves out territory in Siskiyou|url=https://www.mtshastanews.com/story/news/2021/03/16/two-siskiyou-county-wolves-dubbed-whaleback-pair/4720319001/|access-date=2021-03-17|work=Mount Shasta Herald|language=en-US}} In January 2021, a female joined OR-85 in the northernmost part of California.{{Cite news|last=Kinkade|first=Skye|date=January 28, 2021|title=Wolves in California: Siskiyou is home to a new pair|url=https://www.mtshastanews.com/story/news/2021/01/28/wolves-california-siskiyou-home-new-pair/4279436001/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-02|work=Mount Shasta Herald|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|last=Martinez|first=Fernando|date=2021-02-01|title=Pair of wolves move to California, adding to the state's low wolf population|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/A-pair-of-wolves-move-to-California-adding-to-15914881.php|access-date=2021-02-02|work=SFGATE|language=en-US}} Named the Whaleback Pack, the female is related to Oregon's Rogue Pack.{{r|CDFW 2021-08-03}} In September 2021, CDFW wolf specialist Kent Laudon confirmed the Whaleback Pack had 7 pups.{{Cite news|date=2021-09-10|title=Northern California's Newest Wolf Pack Welcomes First Litter of 7 Pups|url=https://activenorcal.com/northern-californias-newest-wolf-pack-welcomes-first-litter-of-7-pups/|access-date=2021-10-02|work=Active NorCal|language=en-us}} With both the Whaleback and Lassen packs having pups in 2021, the state had at least two wolf packs with pups for the first time in over a hundred years.{{r|CBD 2021-08-03}} In the spring of 2022, the Whaleback Pack had eight pups, all of which survived into the fall.{{Cite news |last=Gammon |first=Katharine |date=2022-12-11 |title='A remarkable sign': flurry of wolf births offers hope for California comeback |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/11/california-rare-wolf-comeback |access-date=2023-01-19 |work=The Guardian |language=en}} The Lassen Pack had five pups in 2022.{{Cite press release|url=https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/pups-confirmed-in-two-california-wolf-packs-2022-08-03/|title=Pups Confirmed in Two California Wolf Packs|publisher=Center for Biological Diversity|date=August 3, 2022|access-date=2023-02-07}} CDFW captured and collared two wolves in the Whaleback Pack in March 2023.{{Cite news |last=Nobert |first=Matthew |date=2023-03-25 |title=Two California gray wolves successfully captured and collared in Northern California |url=https://ktla.com/news/two-california-gray-wolves-successfully-captured-and-collared-in-siskiyou-county/ |access-date=2023-03-27 |work=KTLA |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Harrell |first=Ashley |date=2023-04-03 |title=Unprecedented wolf attacks in Calif. lead to dramatic helicopter capture |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-helicopter-wolf-capture-17869228.php |access-date=2023-04-04 |work=SFGATE |language=en-US}} They were able to track one wolf in Siskiyou County through "intermittent signals" coming from the malfunctioning collar.{{Cite news |last=Ellis |first=Rebecca |date=2023-03-25 |title=Two gray wolves captured and collared in Northern California |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-25/two-gray-wolves-captured-and-collared-in-northern-california |access-date=2023-04-26 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}
OR-93 was the 16th documented gray wolf in the recent history of the state. The two-year-old male wolf was fitted with a purple radio collar in June 2020 by tribal biologists on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in the northern Cascade Mountains in Oregon.{{Cite magazine|last=Orlean|first=Susan|date=2021-12-14|title=The Wolf That Roamed to Southern California|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/afterword/the-wolf-that-roamed-to-southern-california|access-date=2021-12-18|magazine=The New Yorker|publisher=Condé Nast|language=en-US}} After leaving his White River pack on January 30, 2021,{{Cite news |date=2021-11-26 |title=A rare gray wolf made an epic 1,500km trek across the US. A vehicle hit him |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3157424/rare-gray-wolf-made-epic-1500km-trek-across-us-then |access-date=2023-04-10 |work=South China Morning Post |language=en |agency=Tribune News Service}} he reached Mono County, east of Yosemite National Park in the central Sierra Nevada in February, which was the farthest south a wolf has been tracked in California in more than a century.{{r|SFG 2021-03-02}}{{Cite magazine|last=Murdock|first=Jason|date=2021-03-01|title=Scientists say first wolf found near Yosemite for century is a "beacon of hope"|url=https://www.newsweek.com/gray-wolf-93-california-mono-county-yosemite-national-park-1572807|access-date=2021-03-03|magazine=Newsweek|language=en}} Heading west, he crossed the agricultural area of the Central Valley near Fresno.{{Cite news|last=Sahagún|first=Louis|date=2021-05-22|title=Rumors have been flying since an adventurous wolf went missing in California|url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-05-22/california-wolf-missing-rumours|access-date=2021-06-01|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}} Ranchers felt he was a threat to livestock due to the lack of wild prey in the area. They had been notified of his presence by the California Cattlemen's Association which had been watching his progress since the wolf entered the state.{{Cite news |last=Sahagún|first=Louis |date=2021-03-25 |title=Will the wolf survive? The stunning California odyssey of OR-93, a wolf on a mission |url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-03-25/stunning-california-odyssey-or93-wolf-on-a-mission |access-date=2023-04-10 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} Eventually, he made it as far as San Luis Obispo County, which is nearly {{convert|1000|mi|km|sigfig=2}} from his birthplace south of Mount Hood in western Oregon. The last wolf sighting in the Central Coast area had been in 1826.{{Cite news|last=Chamings|first=Andrew|date=2021-04-07|title=Lone wolf's epic Calif. journey has taken a turn toward the ocean|url=https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/OR-93-wolf-california-update-san-luis-obispo-coast-16083251.php|access-date=2021-04-07|work=SFGATE|language=en-US}} After being tracked through sixteen California counties, the signal was lost.{{r|OPB 2021/10/04}} While avoiding populated areas, the wolf had crossed three major highways: California Route 99, Interstate 5, and Highway 101.{{Cite news|date=2021-04-28|title=Location of gray wolf that made historic trek into SLO County now unknown|url=https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/location-of-gray-wolf-that-made-historic-trek-into-slo-county-now-unknown|access-date=2021-04-29|work=KSBY|language=en}} OR-93 may have been spotted on May 15 in southwestern Kern County in a videotape of a wolf at a water trough on private property.{{Cite news|last=Cox|first=John|date=August 27, 2021|title=Gray wolf spotted in southwestern Kern|url=https://www.bakersfield.com/news/gray-wolf-spotted-in-southwestern-kern/article_d9343f2c-078c-11ec-81cd-333e1b67c032.html|access-date=2021-08-28|work=The Bakersfield Californian|language=en}} September wolf sightings in rural northern Ventura County were confirmed by CDFW through the identification of recent wolf tracks. Due to the purple collar, the animal was assumed to be OR-93.{{Cite news|last=Burns|first=Jes|date=October 4, 2021|title=Oregon wolf's epic trip to Southern California could be among the century's longest|url=https://www.opb.org/article/2021/10/04/oregon-wolf-southern-california-wolves/|access-date=2021-10-05|work=Oregon Public Broadcasting|language=en}} This is the farthest south in California that a gray wolf has been documented since one was captured in San Bernardino County in 1922.{{Cite news|work=CDFW News |title=Gray Wolf in Ventura County Possibly OR-93|url=https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/gray-wolf-in-ventura-county-possibly-or-93|access-date=2021-10-02|language=en-US}} He was found dead in November, apparently killed by a vehicle on a highway.{{Cite news|last=Rott|first=Nathan|date=2021-11-24|title=A famously far-ranging gray wolf is found dead in Southern California|language=en|work=NPR News|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/11/24/1059076019/a-famously-far-ranging-gray-wolf-is-found-dead-in-southern-california|access-date=2021-11-25}}{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Alissa |date=2022-01-12 |title=World's Largest Wildlife Crossing Is Finally Under Way in Los Angeles |url=https://www.curbed.com/2022/01/wildlife-crossing-liberty-canyon-los-angeles.html |access-date=2022-04-26 |work=Curbed |language=en-us}} A truck driver notified authorities after he noticed a dead wolf along a dirt trail in Kern County off Interstate 5 near the town of Lebec.{{Cite news|last=Carlson|first=Cheri|date=November 24, 2021|title=Gray wolf OR-93, famed for historic odyssey, found dead after being struck by car in Kern County|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2021/11/24/gray-wolf-known-odyssey-or-93-found-dead-kern-county-wolves-in-california-fish-wildlife-extinct/8749899002/|access-date=2021-11-25|newspaper=Ventura County Star|language=en-US}} It is likely several other individual, undetected wolves are dispersing through the state.{{r|SFC 2018-05-09}}{{Cite news |last=Davis |first=Julie Brown |date=2024-10-10 |title=Multiple wolf sightings near Lake Tahoe spark rumors, trigger wildlife investigation |url=https://www.sfgate.com/renotahoe/article/4-wolves-reported-sighting-hope-valley-lake-tahoe-19829369.php |access-date=2024-10-12 |work=SF Gate}}
The Beckwourth Pack was identified in May 2021 when a trail camera spotted three wolves in eastern Plumas County.{{Cite news |date=July 8, 2021 |title=California Identifies New, Rare Gray Wolf Pack |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/california/california-identifies-new-rare-gray-wolf-pack/2588567/ |access-date=2023-03-27 |work=NBC Bay Area |language=en-US |agency=Associated Press}} Evidence of the three wolves were seen in May at the carcass of a confirmed wolf depredation.{{r|CDFW 2021-08-03}} Preliminary DNA analysis indicated one of the wolves in the Beckwourth Pack is LAS12F, a female from the Lassen Packs 2019 litter. The origins of the other two wolves are unknown. A wildlife biologist employed by CDFW attempted to capture members of the pack in order to place collars on the wolves, take blood samples and swabs, and test for disease.{{Cite news |last=Graff |first=Amy |date=2021-07-04 |title='One of our worst nightmares': Joy, anxiety as wolf pack enters Calif. |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/third-wolf-pack-in-California-16285425.php |access-date=2023-04-10 |work=SFGATE |language=en-US}}
Also in May, OR-103, a young male who was outfitted with a GPS collar in Deschutes County, Oregon, crossed the border into Siskiyou County.{{Cite news|last=Seidman|first=Lila|date=May 11, 2021|title=On the heels of one rare gray wolf's epic journey into California, another arrives|url=https://phys.org/news/2021-05-heels-rare-gray-wolf-epic.html|access-date=2021-05-14|work=phys.org|agency=Los Angeles Times|language=en}} OR-103 developed a crippled front paw, and has no way to catch quick, preferred prey such as deer and elk.{{Cite news |last=Harrell |first=Ashley |date=2022-04-05 |title=A gray wolf is attacking Calif. cows. Will ranchers let him live? |url=https://www.sfgate.com/california-news/article/California-gray-wolves-ranchers-conflict-escalates-17056697.php |access-date=2023-02-13 |work=SFGATE |language=en-US}}
In March 2023, a private trail camera picked up wolves in Sierra Nevada foothills of Tehama County between Los Molinos and the Ishi Wilderness. The CDFW had been getting reports about what appeared to be three wolves.{{Cite news |last=Downs |first=Brandon |date=April 6, 2023 |title=Gray wolves caught on camera in Tehama County |url=https://www.actionnewsnow.com/news/local/gray-wolves-caught-on-camera-in-tehama-county/article_63f2e9f6-d4cd-11ed-8880-2bf7a737e853.html |access-date=2023-04-07 |work=KHSL News |language=en}} In addition to the Tehama wolves, a group of between two and four members was spotted in western Lassen County over the winter of 2023.{{Cite web |url=https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=213009&inline |title=California's Known Wolves – Past and Present |author= |date=March 2023 |website=CDFW Data Portal |publisher=California Department of Fish and Wildlife |access-date=November 18, 2024 |quote=A group of 2-4 wolves have been documented in a valley in western Lassen County on three different occasions during the winter of 2023. Survey efforts have begun to determine reproductive status, numbers, origin, and to eventually collar.}}
In August 2023, CDFW identified a new wolf pack in Tulare County, approximately {{Convert|200|mi|km}} south of the nearest known wolf pack. The pack consists of at least one breeding pair and four pups – two males and two females. Genetic testing of scat determined that the adult female is a direct descendant of OR-7, and the breeding male is descended from the Lassen Pack. The news came a month after reported wolf sightings in Sequoia National Forest.{{Cite press release |date=August 11, 2023 |title=New Gray Wolf Pack Confirmed in Tulare County |url=https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/new-gray-wolf-pack-confirmed-in-tulare-county |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=CDFW News |publisher=California Department of Fish and Wildlife |language=en-US}} The pack was named the Yowlumni Pack in association with the Tule River tribe.{{cite news |title=CDFW and Tule River Tribe of California Name Recently Discovered Wolf Pack |url=https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/cdfw-and-tule-river-tribe-of-california-name-recently-discovered-wolf-pack#gsc.tab=0 |access-date=18 February 2024 |work=CDFW News |date=December 14, 2023}}
The CDFW confirmed five more packs in 2024. The Beyem Seyo Pack and Harvey Pack were named in February. The former has at least two adults and six pups and resides in Plumas County. The Harvey Pack, in Lassen County, comprises at least two adults and one pup.{{cite news |last1=Vaziri |first1=Aidin |title=California gray wolf packs discovered last year officially named |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/two-newly-found-gray-wolf-packs-officially-named-18682260.php |access-date=23 February 2024 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=22 February 2024}} The following month the Antelope Pack with two individuals was reported. In November, the CDFW then reported two more packs.{{Cite web |last=Bartlett |first=Amanda |date=2024-11-26 |title=Endangered species expands in Northern California a century after disappearing |url=https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/new-gray-wolf-pack-northern-california-19942489.php |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=SFGATE |language=en}} An unnamed pack with two adults and two pups is near Lassen Volcanic National Park. Lastly, the Diamond Pack was confirmed with two members near Lake Tahoe.{{Cite news |last=Seidman |first=Lila |date=2024-11-30 |title=Two new wolf packs confirmed in California amid population boom |url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-11-30/two-new-wolf-packs-confirmed-in-california-population-increase |access-date=2024-12-18 |work=Los Angeles Times}}
Ecology
Northern California alone is estimated to support {{convert|23,000|sqmi}} of potential wolf habitat. That could support upwards of five hundred wolves. In addition, the presence of wolves in the state affects other flora and fauna. Management of the population of deer protects vegetation for songbirds and beavers.{{r|SFC 2024-10-13}} Certain areas of the Sierra Nevada are suitable habitats for gray wolves which mostly consists of conifer forests. The range stretches about {{convert|400| miles}} and reaches elevations of over {{convert|14,000| feet}}. At lower elevations, the climate is Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Higher elevations experience alpine climates, with cold winters and short, cool summers. Currently, wildlife consists of black bears, mountain lions, bob cats, and mule deers.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} In Southern California, the region faces more challenges in supporting gray wolf habitat, as there is higher human population and urban development. Wolves have expanded and migrated down to Central California and have been recorded in the National Sequoia Forest.{{Cite thesis |last=Wright |first=Will Michael |date=2021 |title=Nature unbound: what gray wolves, monarch butterflies, and giant sequoias tell us about large landscape conservation |publisher=Montana State University {{!}} Bozeman, College of Letters & Science |url=https://scholarworks.montana.edu/items/cc6a413c-8bc3-405c-a7ac-0596ab781f08 |language=en}} One of the recorded packs is the first known to reside in Southern California, known as the Tulare Pack, otherwise referred to as the Yowlumni pack.{{Cite journal |last1=Lanman |first1=Richard B. |last2=Batter |first2=Thomas J. |last3=Mckee |first3=Cody J. |date=2024-09-18 |title=Novel evidence that elk were historically native to the Sierra Nevada, and recent range expansions into the region |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=19 |issue=9 |pages=e0301665 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0301665 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=11410259 |pmid=39292686}}
Conservation and challenges
The California Fish and Game Commission granted the gray wolf protection in 2014 under the state's Endangered Species Act.{{r|LAT 2014-06-05}} The protections forbid harassment or killing of wolves, including if they prey on livestock.{{r|SFC 2024-10-13}} The CDFW had recommended against the inclusion as a wolf management plan was being developed that would protect the animals. The management plan would attempt to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best available science. The plan could allow flexibility for ranchers concerned about attacks on livestock and deal with concerns that wolves might decimate elk herds.{{r|LAT 2014-06-05}} In 2016, the department completed the plan and published the Conservation Plan for Gray Wolves in California. The management plan provides policy for wildlife managers as they handle potential conflicts between wolves, humans, and livestock.{{r|LN 2016-12-19}} To balance ample prey for wolves with opportunities for hunters, the plan included management of deer, elk, and other game animals. The plan also covers the impact that wolves as predators may have on other species of concern.{{Cite news |last=Clarke |first=Chris |date=2016-12-07 |title=State Releases Plan for Gray Wolf Recovery |url=https://www.kcet.org/redefine/california-releases-plan-for-gray-wolf-recovery |access-date=2021-04-23 |work=KCET |language=en}} A judge found in 2019 that wolves wandering in naturally from neighboring states should be protected by California's laws after a lawsuit was brought by the Pacific Legal Foundation, the California Farm Bureau Federation and the California Cattlemen's Association challenging the listing.{{r|KQED 2019-03-15}}
In 2019, California Fish and Game Commission opposed the federal proposal to delist wolves from the Endangered Species Act. They argued that federal protection was still needed to make a full recovery since the future wolf population in California will depend on expanding from other states.{{Cite news |last=DiCorato |first=Allessandra |date=August 14, 2019 |title=California Defends Wolves, Argues Against Feds Removing Protections |url=https://www.kqed.org/science/1946451/california-defends-wolves-argues-against-feds-removing-protections |access-date=2021-09-06 |work=KQED |language=en-us}} In November 2021, a federal judge held a hearing on whether wolves were properly classified under the Endangered Species Act prior to losing their protected status in the previous year.{{Cite news |date=November 12, 2021 |title=Fight over U.S. wolf protections heads to federal courtroom |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/11/12/fight-over-us-wolf-protections-heads-to-federal-courtroom |access-date=2021-11-16 |work=MPR News |agency=Associated Press}} The judge ruled to restore federal protections the following year.{{Cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Matthew |last2=Flesher |first2=John |date=2022-02-10 |title=Judge restores protections for gray wolves across much of US |url=https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-white-environment-and-nature-wildlife-wolves-0961f3065ab154ee693936295c18a5a0 |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=AP News |language=en}}
The state created a $3 million fund in 2021 to compensate ranchers for the effects of wolves. The money was paid out to the ranchers for killed livestock, mechanisms to protect livestock, and stress to cattle induced by the wolves. In 2024, the funds were completely distributed{{r|SFC 2024-10-13}} after which the state budgeted a new $600,000 for the fund.{{Cite web |last=Weise |first=Elizabeth |title=As California's wolf population claws its way back, some ranchers are nervous |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/12/06/wolves-making-california-comeback/76690700007/ |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US |quote=In 2021, the state allotted $3 million to the effort, the most comprehensive plan for wolves in the nation. But the money ran out in May. In the midst of a budget deficit, the state this year allocated $600,000. "That doesn't go real far," Wilbur said.}} The CDFW seeks to collar at least one animal per pack, in part to alert local ranchers when wolves are in their area.{{r|SFC 2024-10-13}} Twenty-one wolf depredations of livestock were confirmed in 2023.{{Cite news |last=Heinz |first=Mark |date=2024-01-25 |title=Unlike In Wyoming, California Ranchers Can't Touch Wolves |url=https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/01/25/unlike-in-wyoming-california-ranchers-cant-touch-wolves/ |access-date=2024-01-27 |work=Cowboy State Daily |language=en}}
The migration of wolves into California is fairly divided, with those in rural areas against the reintroduction and those in more urban areas who are supportive. Those who occupy rural areas consist of more ranchers, with their argument being that they are the ones that will have to deal with livestock predation. Many ranchers believe that there is not enough protection for their livestock, and have voiced that they should have the right to lethally remove any wolves predating on their livestock. Gray wolves in California are protected against the Endangered Species Act, and any lethal removal of them will be illegal. There have been studies on if lethal removal is an effective strategy,{{Cite web |last=Kriz |first=Matthew A. |title=Challenges to Gray Wolf Recovery in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California |url=https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_projects/rn301686c |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=ir.library.oregonstate.edu}} as removing a single pack member can drastically effect the pack dynamic, especially if the wolf was an alpha. Studies have shown that male alpha wolves killed have caused the pups to grow up with destructive hunting habits, as they were never trained how to efficiently hunt.{{Cite journal |last1=Cassidy |first1=Kira A |last2=Borg |first2=Bridget L |last3=Klauder |first3=Kaija J |last4=Sorum |first4=Mathew S |last5=Thomas-Kuzilik |first5=Rebecca |last6=Dewey |first6=Sarah R |last7=Stephenson |first7=John A |last8=Stahler |first8=Daniel R |last9=Gable |first9=Thomas D |last10=Bump |first10=Joseph K |last11=Homkes |first11=Austin T |last12=Windels |first12=Steve K |last13=Smith |first13=Douglas W |date=2023 |title=Human-caused mortality triggers pack instability in gray wolves |url=https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fee.2597 |journal=Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment |language=en |volume=21 |issue=8 |pages=356–362 |doi=10.1002/fee.2597 |bibcode=2023FrEE...21..356C |issn=1540-9309|doi-access=free }} If a female breeder was lethally removed, this would cause major implications on the rest of the pack. Natural pack structure is recorded to restore with decreased hunting of gray wolves, and wolves tend to have a higher level of stress hormones when occupying area where heavy hunting occurs. Overall, it is determined that hunting gray wolves cause detrimental effects on gray wolf pack level biological processes.
On November 17, 2022, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife held an in-person meeting with invited stakeholders to discuss the draft concept for the [https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf/Grants Interim Wolf-Livestock Loss Compensation Grant Program’s Pay for Presence module]. The goal of the meeting was to provide an interactive platform for both stakeholders and the public to give and receive feedback on the Program. CDFW specifically aimed to gather input from the invited stakeholders, while also offering the public an opportunity to contribute additional comments. The meeting included: updates on the Interim Compensation Grants Program, a presentation and discussion about the Pay for Presence module, and updates on CDFW's ongoing Wolf Program activities. The meeting was open to the public, and invited guests included representatives from affected counties’ Agricultural Commissioners, livestock producers, the California Cattlemen’s Association, California Farm Bureau, California Wool Growers Association, Working Circle, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, the California Department of Food & Agriculture, the University of California-Cooperative Extension, and USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services. In the 2016 California Wolf Management Plan, it discusses how wolf interactions with livestock are most probable in the Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau regions. If wolves were to establish themselves in the Klamath Mountains, they might be less inclined to interact with or negatively impact livestock. This is because the Klamath Mountains have steeper terrain and denser forests compared to much of the Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau, and the landscape is generally less conducive to livestock production. As a result, beef cattle and sheep densities are higher in the Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau than in the Klamath Mountains.
California is in process of Part II of the California Wolf Management Plan. [https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/california-enters-next-phase-of-wolf-conservation-plan-as-states-gray-wolf-population-continues-to-expand] As part of Phase II of its conservation plan, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will initiate a formal review of the status of gray wolves in the state. This process will include opportunities for tribal and public input, as well as independent peer review. In addition, CDFW plans to evaluate legal options under the California and Federal Endangered Species Acts to potentially authorize targeted, nonlethal hazing—such as the use of noise devices, nonlethal ammunition, or motorized equipment—to deter wolves from livestock areas in specific situations.
In the coming months, CDFW will release an online tool providing real-time location data for GPS-collared wolves, intended to support livestock producers and land managers. It will also publish its first annual report summarizing wolf conservation and management activities in California from 2015 through 2024.
CDFW continues several ongoing efforts as part of its broader wolf conservation strategy. These include administering the Wolf Livestock Compensation Program, which has provided over $3.1 million in payments to ranchers for confirmed or probable wolf-related livestock losses. Field teams also monitor known wolf packs, investigate new areas of activity, and collar untagged wolves to improve tracking. In 2024 and early 2025, CDFW successfully GPS-collared 12 wolves—more than ever before in the state.
The department maintains regular communication with livestock producers, tribes, local agencies, and conservation organizations. In 2024, it participated in 34 community outreach events to share information on wolf management. Research efforts continue in collaboration with the California Wolf Project, which studies wolf behavior, diet, habitat use, and interactions with livestock. Habitat restoration also remains a focus, with more than $15 million invested over the past decade in improving conditions for native prey species such as deer, elk, and pronghorn. Finally, CDFW remains actively involved in investigating reports of livestock depredation, conducting 79 investigations in 2024—over 80% of which took place on the day of the report.
See also
- List of gray wolf populations by country
- History of wolves in Yellowstone
- Repopulation of wolves in Colorado
- Repopulation of wolves in Midwestern United States
- {{section link|Environmental issues in Wyoming|Gray wolf}}
References
=Citations =
{{Reflist|refs=
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External links
- [https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf Gray Wolf], California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Conservation:Mammals
- [https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/4488 Gray wolf (Canis lupus)], ECOS - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- {{Cite AV media|last=Landon|first=Kent|date=September 8, 2021|title= California Gray Wolves|url= https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n12eu41YKtM|access-date=2021-09-30|publisher=San Luis Obispo Coast District|language=en-us}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Repopulation of wolves in California}}