California wildlife officials have been working to mitigate the impact of the state's rebounding wolf population on its ranchers. The Northern California wolves that were euthanized had become dependent on cattle for food.
California wildlife officials have been working to mitigate the impact of the state's rebounding wolf population on its ranchers. The Northern California wolves that were euthanized had become dependent on cattle for food.
Gray wolves are slowly repopulating California after being extirpated from the state in the early 1900s. This wolf, known as OR93, pictured in 2021, was born in Oregon but traveled through California before being killed by a vehicle collision.Gray wolves are slowly repopulating California after being extirpated from the state in the early 1900s. This wolf, known as OR93, pictured in 2021, was born in Oregon but traveled through California before being killed by a vehicle collision.After being wiped out in California for nearly a century, the gray wolf has been making a comeback in the state, in a change that's been celebrated by conservationists and wildlife lovers. But as their population has grown over the last decade, so too has The latest example comes from Northern California, where state wildlife officials announced on Friday that they made the difficult decision to euthanize four wolves following an"Between late March and early September, the gray wolves from the Beyem Seyo pack — one of 10 wolf packs now confirmed in California — were responsible for 70 total livestock losses, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said. The losses represented nearly two-thirds of the state's total wolf-caused livestock depredations during that time period, according to the agency.use a variety of non-lethal tools to try to deter predators like wolves from attacking livestock, including firing guns into the air, hanging brightly colored flagging around grazing areas, and driving around herds with ATVs and trucks. Despite those efforts, the wolves had become so reliant on cattle as a food source that"we could not break the cycle," Bonham said."Which ultimately is not good for the long-term recovery of wolves or for people." Gray wolves were largely hunted, trapped and poisoned out of the lower 48 U.S. states by the early 20th century. It's believed the last wolves in California were extirpatedThe reintroductions and recolonizations have followed a similar pattern: conservationists celebrating the return of the apex predator, while ranchers in largely rural areas criticize their impactfrom the Endangered Species Act in the lower 48 states, citing increases in wolf populations in parts of the Western U.S. and the Upper Midwest — a move that ended federal protections for the species. Environmental groups sued over the decision, and a judge ordered protections reinstated in 2022.
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