“We knew wolves would eventually return home to the state, and it appears now is the time.”- Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton Bonham
After a couple lone wolves crossed from Oregon into California earlier this year, California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials started preparing for the arrival of the long lost species back into the state. However, they can’t believe a pack of wolves moved in so fast.
The last time a wolf was sighted in California was 1924
The pack, nicknamed the “Shasta Pack” due to their close proximity to 14,749 ft. peak in Northern California, are currently situated along the Shasta/Siskiyou county border in a series of logging zones. Their exact location is being kept under wraps.
So far, people expressed mostly welcoming sentiments when asked about California’s prodigal canines. Traditionally speaking, ranchers and hunters still retain a old-fashioned suspicion of the animals for preying on livestock, specifically sheep. That said, this pack has yet to interfere with any livestock in the surrounding area reports the Sacramento Bee.
Interesting Fact: Alpha males and alpha females belonging to the same pack remain mates for life.- defenders.org
“We’re very interested in where did these wolves come from and who did they descend from”- Karen Kovacs, Fish and Wildlife Wolf Specialist
Currently, Gray Wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act and anyone caught killing a wolf in any situation but self defense could face fines and/or prison time. However, any kind of management plan is still a ways out. It will most likely be quite some time before habitat is designated, hunting permits released, and a sustainable population established.
Interesting Fact: There are an estimated 7,000 to 11,200 gray wolves in Alaska, 3,700 in the Great Lakes region and 1,675 in the Northern Rockies.- defenders.org
Read the entire article here: California’s first modern-day wolf pack sighted in Siskiyou County