Wolf pack discovered in Northern California

[Mugwump]

In a major breakthrough for wildlife conservation, a pack of gray wolves has been discovered in southeastern Siskiyou County, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Thursday.

The wolves, dubbed the Shasta Pack, consist of two adults and five pups. Fish and Wildlife captured photographic evidence of the pack after spotting a lone wolf in May and July.

Wolves were eliminated in California in the 1920s, but have recently begun a comeback. A male named OR7 entered California in 2011 but left the state in 2013 to join a pack in Oregon.

Fish and Wildlife presumes the parents of the cubs came from Oregon, though officials do not think they are a direct descendent of OR7. The department is awaiting the results of a DNA analysis to better determine the animals' lineage, and it plans to place a tracking collar on at least one of the adults.



All the wolves are black in color, which is fairly common among gray wolves, according to Fish and Wildlife. The pups are estimated to be about 4 months old and weigh between 35 and 40 pounds.

The appearance of the Shasta Pack beat Fish and Wildlife's best guess for when a pack would show up in California, said Karen Kovacs, the department's wildlife program manager for California's nine northernmost counties.

"These animals have a tremendous ability to reoccupy former range (and) their reproductive potential is quite high," Kovacs said in a conference call with reporters. "These are very resilient critters."

Fish and Wildlife officials said the wolves do not pose a public safety threat. The department is considering a plan to reimburse ranchers in the event that these or other wolves attack livestock.

The wolves are protected under state and federal endangered species laws. Anyone who kills a wolf is subject to punishment.

[sschind]

I read it as North Carolina and thought "well Duh!!

[big b]

Wolves are cool  .

[BallAquatics]

Wolves are cool  .

They are certainly cool to watch on the TV or video.  Not so much if a group of them catches you out in the wilderness.  Mother Nature is a harsh mistress.

Dennis

[Mugwump]

Wolves are cool  .

They are certainly cool to watch on the TV or video.  Not so much if a group of them catches you out in the wilderness.  Mother Nature is a harsh mistress.

Dennis

...but like a lot of wild animals, if they hear you coming, they'll vamoose.......

[big b]

Wolves are cool  .

They are certainly cool to watch on the TV or video.  Not so much if a group of them catches you out in the wilderness.  Mother Nature is a harsh mistress.

Dennis

I don't go out into the wilderness without my machete......

[Mugwump]

Wolves are cool  .

They are certainly cool to watch on the TV or video.  Not so much if a group of them catches you out in the wilderness.  Mother Nature is a harsh mistress.

Dennis

I don't go out into the wilderness without my machete......

....well if attacked...you might wound one of them..??

[BallAquatics]

Yep, if there is more than one, your goose is cooked.

That's why we had 2 rottweilers when I used to travel for work.   

Dennis

[big b]

I'll go out swinging. If I survive it and the government starts knocking on my door then they can expect some not so nice words coming their way  .

[BallAquatics]

I'd much rather live in harmony with the natural world.  When I was younger, I spent the majority of my time outside, with as much of that time spent in the woods or along a brook, stream, or river as I could manage.

As a species, we think we've got it all figured out and are superior to ALL other life on this planet.  In retrospect, if we we're so intelligent, we would learn to work with, and in concert with nature's grand scheme of things.

Dennis

[big b]

I'd much rather live in harmony with a steak then nature.

[BallAquatics]

I'd much rather live in harmony with a steak then nature.

Whatever floats your boat.....  we are all different!

Dennis

[PaulineMi]

I'd much rather live in harmony with the natural world.  When I was younger, I spent the majority of my time outside, with as much of that time spent in the woods or along a brook, stream, or river as I could manage.

As a species, we think we've got it all figured out and are superior to ALL other life on this planet.  In retrospect, if we we're so intelligent, we would learn to work with, and in concert with nature's grand scheme of things.

Dennis

It's all so complex in the natural world. We tend to thoroughly disrupt parts of it then think we can easily put it back together again.  Is it really that smart to build homes in wilderness type areas, drive wildlife out, then "plant" the critters that left back into the outer limits of the human habitat? Pets, children and hikers are at risk of "rogue" predator encounters. Then, in turn, the animals that were successfully reintroduced are considered dangerous pests. That's the way some of it has turned out with wolves in our upper penninsula. Sad for humans and animals.