California Boosts Effort To Track And Protect State’s Growing Gray Wolf Packs

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is exploring opportunities to expand its management of the state’s growing gray wolf population, the department said earlier this month.

While it’s been well over a century since gray wolves roamed the Bay Area, the fascination with wolves has remained ever since a wolf pack with pups was found in Lassen County in 2017. According to Fish and Wildlife, seven known wolf packs are living in California, mainly in the northeastern part of the state, with one pack residing in the southern Sierra Nevada. Five of the seven packs are breeding pairs, with two or more pups, Fish and Wildlife said. Now, Fish and Wildlife is taking further steps to ensure the population can thrive; while taking the communities they live near into consideration.

The first order of business is to gather details about the packs. Fish and Wildlife’s valuation of the status of California’s wolf population may include collecting data on wolf behaviors, population growth potential, range, environmental factors and potential impacts as the population grows. While majestic and mysterious, gray wolves are a threat to livestock. To address this, Fish and Wildlife will evaluate legal pathways to potentially issue permits to allow for what it calls “less-than-lethal harassment” to address wolf activity near livestock or human population. Tools might include nonlethal ammunition or motorized equipment to follow or pursue wolves.

In the upcoming months, Fish and Wildlife plans to release an online tool providing the location of GPS-collared wolves, which can report when populations are near livestock. Fish and Wildlife is also releasing its first annual report about the gray wolf population in the state. These actions are in addition to other activities Fish and Wildlife has taken regarding the wolves, including compensation payments for livestock producers that have had confirmed injured or killed livestock by wolves. Fish and Wildlife continues to explore ways to protect livestock, while allowing the wolves to thrive. Last year staff spent over 200 days in the field monitoring wolves with the goal of capturing and collaring wolves with GPS trackers, Fish and Wildlife said. It successfully collared 12 wolves, which are tracked by satellite, the most ever captured.
Fish and Wildlife also has jurisdiction to investigate California wolf deaths. Over the past five years, eight investigations have been completed.

More information about Fish and Wildlife and its work with California’s gray wolves can be found at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf.