California has a new wolf pack after another was euthanized

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California wildlife officials have confirmed there’s a new wolf pack in the northern part of the state, as the population of the endangered canids — and the number of livestock they have preyed on — continues to rise.The freshly minted Grizzly pack is roaming southern Plumas County and consists of at least two adults and a pup, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported this week.The pack consists of a male wolf that came over from Oregon and a female from the state’s Lassen pack.

Recently, state wildlife officials also got photos of a wolf pup believed to be theirs.The news comes on the heels of the Beyem Seyo pack’s demise last month, when the Fish and Wildlife Department euthanized four wolves that had killed a large number of cattle in the Sierra Valley — marking the first time in about a century that state officials had taken lethal action against the animals.“As difficult of a decision as that was to make, from a conservation point of view, the population data that we’re getting does continue to suggest that the population is growing and is robust,” said Axel Hunnicutt, gray wolf coordinator for the agency.

The action was taken after a months-long campaign of using nonlethal deterrents, he said.The Beyem Seyo pack shifted to a new area in October, and new wolves quickly moved into their old stomping ground, one sign that the population is strong, he said.With one pack gained and one pack lost, the state’s total remains at 10.

California In response to a surge in cattle kills across the Sierra Valley, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife euthanized four gray wolves from the Beyem Seyo pack.It’s estimated that there are about 50 to 70 wolves in the Golden State.Although it’s a relatively small number, it represents a stunning recovery for the apex predators, which were hunted and trapped into extinction in the 1920s.

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