Gray Wolf Pack Found In Northern California For First Time In 91 Years
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — For the first time in 91 years, it appears wolves are reestablished back in California after a small pack of gray wolves were spotted in Northern California.
Wildlife experts say the wolves pose very little threat to humans, but the sighting is creating a buzz about the return of the animals missing for nearly a century.
It started in May when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife captured what some thought was a wolf on a trail camera.
"So a couple of intuitive biologists decided to put a few more trail cameras in some areas that they thought they might spot some wolves," said Jordan Traverso.
Their intuition paid off. They confirmed it wasn't just the one wolf, but a pack of seven—two adults, likely parents, and their five pups.
"It's really exciting because this is the first time that gray wolves have been established back in California since 1924," he said.
Wildlife experts were also excited in 2011 when a collared lone wolf labeled OR-7 crossed into California from Oregon for a brief period. He's back in Oregon and part of a pack.
The new wolf pack was found recently in a rural part of Siskiyou County.
"It would be really hard to say what it means for the state's ecosystem because we don't really have a point of reference," Traverso said.
The department created a gray wolf stakeholder group a couple of years ago, and it's working on a wolf management plan to address concerns about conservation, hunting and agriculture.
"It's a pretty varied group, and so you would have mixed emotions from some that are really excited to have it back and some that have concern about property, livestock, that kind of thing," he said.
State and federal laws protect the wolves from any kind of harassment or capture.