On March 27, California officials announced the appearance of three new wolf packs in California, SFGate reported.
One hundred years ago, gray wolves were hunted to extinction in California. However, in 2011, one wolf crossed over the border from Oregon.
Since then, more and more wolves have entered California, and with the addition of the three new packs, 10 active packs are now present. That makes the total 78 across the West Coast, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, as cited by SFGate.
The new packs are the Ashpan Pack in Shasta County, the Ishi Pack in eastern Tehama County, and the Tunnison Pack in central Lassen County.
Officially declaring a new wolf pack requires more than having a group of wolves running around. Two or more wolves must be in a specific area for at least six months, or a pair of wolves must reproduce. The Ishi Pack may have met the criteria by reproducing, and all three packs have been under observation since late 2023 to confirm their status.
"Wolves are pretty fragile, and one reason they have the protections they have is that, when they're initially establishing themselves, it's really just a pair," Axel Hunnicutt, the gray wolf coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told SFGate. "It's a male and a female, and if something happens to either one of them, it's no longer a pack. They need to now wander for another couple hundred miles or months or years potentially to find another mate."
Although some ranchers in the area are concerned about livestock losses, the number of wolf kills in the state remains small. Also, there is a fund to reimburse ranchers for their losses. The drawbacks of reintroducing wolves are heavily outweighed by the benefits. As we learned when wolves were killed off from and then returned to Yellowstone National Park, removing apex predators harms ecosystems. Returning them can help repair some of the damage, but it's better not to lose them in the first place.
"How wonderful to witness another year of continued growth in California's recovering wolf population," said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release, per SFGate. "It's inspiring to watch this renaissance and we should do everything we can to ensure California's wolves have every chance to thrive."
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