Gray Wolves Return To California For The First Time In 91 Years

By Robert Martin

Published August 21,2015 12:58PM,EDT

weather.com

Wildlife officials in California are rejoicing after a pack of gray wolves was spotted in the state for the first time since 1924. The rare wolves were captured by trail cameras in the remote woods of Siskiyou County in Northern California.
The group consisting of two adult wolves and five pups has been named the Shasta Pack by the California Department Of Fish and Wildlife. The department is currently drafting a conservation plan for the wolves and plans to release it shortly.
(MORE: 13 Endangered Animals You've Never Heard Of)
“This news is exciting for California,” said Charlton H. Bonham, CDFW Director. “We knew wolves would eventually return home to the state and it appears now is the time.”

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A gray wolf from the Shasta Pack seen in Northern California.  (The California Department Of Fish And Wildlife)

Gray wolves were added to the state’s list of endangered animals in 2014 despite there not being a single known wolf in the state at the time. The Los Angeles Times reports that while biologists expected wolf populations in Oregon to eventually spread into California, they never expected an established pack to form so quickly.
Wolves have seen such a resurgence in Oregon that the state is already considering removing some of them from its endangered list. According to Reuters, research found there were a total of 77 wolves in Oregon by the end of 2014.
In California, officials hope to attach a radio collar to at least one of the wolves in Shasta in order to carefully track the pack’s movement patterns. While wolves don’t often pose a threat to human safety, the California Department Of Fish and Wildlife advises that people do not approach or feed the wild animals.
MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Watermelon Wolves

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A gray wolf named Renki bites into a watermelon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park) 

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