The Wolves continue their resurgence in California.
State wildlife officials confirm the presence of two new gray wolf packs in Northern California, bringing the number of endangered apex predators currently roaming the state to at least 70, a record number last year. It is estimated that this is an increase from the 44 animals reported.
The freshly mined Diamond pack roams the landscape about 80 miles north of Lake Tahoe, but another new pack, which has yet to be named, said California Department of Gray Wolf Coordinator Axel Hunnicutt. It is located just south of Lassen Volcanic National Park. fish and wildlife.
Four years ago, there was only one pack. There are now nine, according to a map released this month by CDFW. Thirty puppies were born this year, with more expected.
“Populations have increased significantly and we’re at a tipping point where we’ll have a significant number of animals breeding here,” Mr Hunnicutt said.
A wolf from the newly minted Diamond Pack was caught on camera trap about 80 miles north of Lake Tahoe.
(University of California, Berkeley Wolf Project)
Experts say the wide-muzzled canids help balance ecosystems, and conservationists are celebrating the canids’ comeback. But their presence raises challenges, including the need to protect livestock, prompting countries to invest in research to inform management of the expanding species.
Hunnicutt said the Diamond pack, which lives in the state’s mountainous Sierra Valley, is made up of two wolves, one of which is known to be female. There is no evidence that wolves mate.
He said the unnamed pack consists of two adult wolves and at least two cubs. They are distributed in an area spanning Shasta, Lassen, Tehama and Plumas counties.
Images of both new packs were captured on camera traps.
The Golden State’s gray wolves were hunted and trapped to extinction a century ago. The last wild wolf recorded in California was shot and killed in Lassen County in 1924.
The species’ remarkable recolonization in California began just 13 years ago, when the northeastern Oregon wolf known as OR-7 invaded the Golden State.
It never caught on, and the first tested pack didn’t take hold until 2015, Hunnicutt said.
He said the population started increasing two years ago and is now poised to grow “almost exponentially” given the number of cubs born this year.
A 2016 state conservation plan estimates that the landscape north of Interstate 80 can support approximately 370 to 500 wolves.
Gray wolves in the lower 48 states, especially California, tend to weigh around 75 to 80 pounds. They are quite tall and have broader snouts and rounder ears than the coyote, for which they are often mistaken.
“People send us reports, and what’s interesting is they describe this epic experience they had, and then they say, “He weighed 150 pounds, like the biggest dog I’ve ever seen.” “It was a beautiful animal,” he said. “And it’s not usually a wolf. Wolves aren’t huge.”
Many of the reports they receive come from Los Angeles, where there are no wolves, he said.
The state is trying to better understand how increasing numbers of wolves change the ecosystem.
Hunnicutt predicts that coyote numbers, which have been “man-madely increased,” will decline in areas where wolves are present. The same goes for the current top dog, the Puma.
However, wolves also eat cattle and other livestock, which can threaten ranchers’ livelihoods. As wolf populations increase, so do livestock conflicts, he said.
Because of this and other complex issues associated with polarizing species, the state wildlife agency is partnering with the University of California, Berkeley, to conduct research that hopes to fill knowledge gaps and guide management. It was decided to implement it. The multi-year California Wolf Project began earlier this year.
“As wolves move into more areas, newer areas, and more and more people are dealing with these animals on the landscape, we need to support sound management decisions and protect the people who support their daily lives.” “I think we need more information to support us. “Everyday life and livelihood and all of that can change, for better or for worse,” said the master’s student and project field. said leader Christina Winters.
There are two main research areas. It explores the ecological and sociological implications of herd animals returning to the state.
Winters is leading ecological fieldwork, deploying large-scale camera trap grids in areas where wolf packs live, as well as collecting scat and tracking areas where the predators have spent a certain amount of time. It also includes investigating.
The sociology portion will include surveys of the general public, including asking livestock owners about their thoughts on nonlethal deterrence and their experiences with direct contact with wolves, she said.
Amarok Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, called the continued recovery of wolves in California “great news” and proof that wolves are protected. They are listed as an endangered species under state and federal law.
But some of the security equipment could soon be under attack.
The Timberwolves were delisted by the federal government under first president Donald Trump, a move the Biden administration defended. Protection was restored after a court invalidated the decision, but the decision was appealed this year.
“Every time there’s a change of administration, we see an attempt under Republican and Democratic leadership to strip protections from wolves,” Weiss said.
Weiss expects federal wildlife officials to try to strip protections again, and that Congress may do the same.
State protections will remain in place, but she said they are “preparing to fight” any presumed federal action.
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