Wolves in California?

Wolves were driven into extinction in California some time in the 1920s. They were wiped out by hunters and trappers due to the prevailing notion that wolves were a great threat to livestock. Now one of the wild wolves in Oregon has been tracked and found to be on a southern course towards California and may be just 30 miles from the border.

In the recent era, discussions about the possibility of reintroducing wolves in California have been conducted. A research study in 2001 found habitat in northern California and southern Oregon – the Klamath-Siskiyou and Modoc Plateau – could support 470 wild wolves.

A very small number of wild wolves have been living in Oregon since they roamed in from Idaho, where they have experienced a resurgence due to legal protections, even though at times their populations have been reduced by legal annual hunts.

“It’s actually a reason to celebrate. I didn’t think I’d see it in my lifetime,” said a Defenders of Wildlife representative. (Source: SacBee) DOF supports reintroduction of wolves to California.The California Dept. of Game and Fish has been working on a plan which recognizes the possibility a wolf or wolves from Oregon could wander into California. “There’s a very high probability, in the next few years, that a wolf will enter California,” explained the man who is managing the plan for the department, Mark Stopher. (Source: SacBee)

A research study found wolves in Yellowstone are associated with about $35 million dollars a year in tourism revenue, due to the large number of park visitors who the desire to see them. If the California government allows a wolf population to live within the state again, perhaps they will also be associated with a particular range or national park. Klamath National Forest might be a candidate for a reintroduction zone, but at this point saying so is merely speculation. This area is about 40 miles north of Mt. Shasta, and is a popular destination for tourists.

Image Credit: Public Domain, WikiCommons

Read more: Nature, Nature & Wildlife, Wildlife

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sheri d.

9:38AM PDT on May 13, 2012

our sissy is part dingo, she has a bigger heart than most people!

send a green star

Vava W.

11:41AM PDT on Apr 22, 2012

What is so wrong about giving these animals a chance!!!
Wolves have always been under scrutiny and prosecution.
No matter where wolves go they are chased from their homes; they have every right to deserve a place to live and a chance to survive.
Wolves and many other animals do not deserve the “unnatural and unpleasant lives" that we bestow on them.

Muriel S.

8:23AM PST on Jan 21, 2012

Wolves deserve to live. The only ones who don't are those who kill them.

12:53PM PST on Jan 18, 2012

We need wolves. They are living beings and they deserve to live.

paula e.

2:36AM PST on Jan 18, 2012

The world needs wolves.

Anneke A.

3:09AM PST on Jan 11, 2012

nature should be allowed to restore itself, without violent interruption by humans

2:17PM PST on Jan 10, 2012

Why not reintroduce them in California? They were there before man. They are so incredibly beautiful ... I didn't know until I saw so many pictures of wolves.

Onyx W.

9:24AM PST on Jan 10, 2012

@colleen Don't be stupid enough to believe made up numbers by hunters and ranchers. Their only goal is to kill wolves. Once they are gone, they'll find some other "shocking numbers" so they can kill the next preditor on the list.

mary r.

10:10PM PST on Dec 29, 2011

I hope the wolves will move into California and I hope they will be able to live in peace. These beautiful creatures deserve a chance to repopulate.

Daniel S.

10:45AM PST on Dec 23, 2011

yea!!! welcome home brothers