Five of California’s seven known gray wolf packs have had pups this year, according to a new report from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. With 30 new pups, the total wolf population in the state has now grown to 62.
“Seeing wolves return to the places they once called home, and having these adorable new pups, is as inspiring as it gets,” said Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “At least five California packs have now started families, which really shows the impact of strong protections under the federal and state endangered species acts.”
All of the packs are located in the far northern part of the state.
According to the report, the Lassen pack had five pups, the Whaleback pack had six, the Beyem Seyo pack had five, and the Harvey pack in Lassen and Shasta counties had seven. California’s southernmost pack, the Yowlumni in Tulare County, also had seven pups.
Two packs had no pups this spring.
In addition to the packs, small groups of wolves or lone wolves -four in total- were spotted in Tehama and Plumas counties, officials said. Surveys are ongoing for wolves recently spotted in Modoc County.
Wolves in California are fully protected under the federal and state Endangered Species Acts. They began returning to the state in 2011 when OR-7, a radio-collared male wolf from Oregon, crossed into California. His daughter is now part of the Yowlumni pack in Tulare County.
“I’m thrilled California now has about 62 wolves,” Weiss said. “It’s a great start, but there’s still more work to do. Wolves need strong protections to fully recover and thrive here.”
This resurgence is part of a broader wolf reintroduction effort in the western United States.
Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in the mid-1990s after being nearly eradicated by the early 20th century. These reintroduction programs have led to a slow but steady recovery of wolves in the West.
However, the reintroduction efforts are not without critics, particularly ranchers and hunters who are concerned about the potential impacts on livestock and game populations.