The Return of the Dire Wolf

From Time.com:

Romulus and Remus are doing what puppies do: chasing, tussling, nipping, nuzzling. But there’s something very un-puppylike about the snowy white 6-month olds—their size, for starters. At their young age they already measure nearly 4 ft. long, tip the scales at 80 lb., and could grow to 6 ft. and 150 lb. Then there’s their behavior: the angelic exuberance puppies exhibit in the presence of humans—trotting up for hugs, belly rubs, kisses—is completely absent.

They keep their distance, retreating if a person approaches. Even one of the handlers who raised them from birth can get only so close before Romulus and Remus flinch and retreat. This isn’t domestic canine behavior, this is wild lupine behavior: the pups are wolves. Not only that, they’re dire wolves—which means they have cause to be lonely.

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Jim Brandenburg, renowned wildlife photographer, dies

From MPRNews.com:

Wildlife photographer Jim Brandenburg, whose landscapes brought worldwide attention to Minnesota, died Friday at his home in Medina. He was 79.

The news was announced on Bradenburg’s Facebook page. In the months leading up to his death, he had been treated for thyroid cancer and also had pneumonia.

“Jim was one of the few people I’ve met in my life who comes up with an idea and he fulfills it,” said Layne Kennedy, a Minneapolis photographer and friend. “So many people have great ideas and they never work on them. They never finish them. Jim was one of those guys that always did that.”

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Is this the end of gray wolf protections in California? As population grows, so do worries

From Redding.com:

California will reexamine its gray wolf conservation policies — including tactics North State ranchers use to protect cattle — now that the endangered and protected species’ pack numbers are growing in Shasta, Siskiyou and other North State counties.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently announced it will begin a review of the gray wolf’s status. The agency said it plans to request input from tribes and other public groups, and from an independent peer review, before making changes to wolf protections.

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Annual survey shows increase in gray wolf packs in Washington, decrease in overall minimum wolf count

From Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Two of three wolf recovery regions exceeded minimum recovery goals 

OLYMPIA – The number of gray wolf packs in Washington increased slightly in 2024, according to the Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2024 Annual Report, released today by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) while the state’s wolf count declined overall. Based on wolf biology and long-term population trajectory, WDFW wolf biologists do not believe wolf recovery is threatened at this time.

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Oregon Senate passes bill increasing compensation to ranchers for wolf kills

From BakerCityHerald.com:

ENTERPRISE — State Sen. Todd Nash has accomplished one of his chief goals as a new state senator — getting the Legislature’s upper house to pass an update to Oregon’s wolf depredation compensation program. The Senate in a 28-1 vote on March 25 passed Senate Bill 777. Nash was the chief sponsor for the bill that now moves to the House, where Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, is championing the legislation, which has yet to be assigned to a committee.

The bill provides what Nash said is “fair compensation for ranchers who lose livestock or working dogs to confirmed wolf kills while increasing funding for nonlethal deterrence,” according to a press release.

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Montana Updates Wolf Management Playbook as Hunting Bills Advance

From MontanaJournal.org:

Management of Montana’s gray wolves continues to spark fierce debate, their future hanging in the balance between science-based conservation and mounting political pressures. Last week, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks unveiled its finalized 2025 Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Plan capping two decades of state oversight even as lawmakers advance multiple bills that would significantly expand wolf hunting across the state.
The updated plan replaces the original 2003 framework that has guided Montana wolf management since the species was federally delisted in 2011. Gray wolves in the contiguous 48 states, with the exception of the Northern Rocky Mountain population, are currently protected under the Endangered Species Act.

After false starts, Oregon wolf compensation reform gains traction

From OregonCapitalInsider.com:

After a couple of false starts, legislation intended to reform Oregon’s compensation policy for wolf killings of livestock appears to have gained momentum. Supporters say the overhaul will help restore trust in the state’s livestock compensation program and discourage the illegal poaching of wolves. “We have ranchers all over this state who’ve lost faith in this program, that have lost faith in the voting that takes place in this Capitol. This is a way for us, you, to reach back to those individual ranchers, to that community, with a positive vote,” said Sen. Todd Nash, R-Enterprise, who raises cattle.

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Snatched pets and livestock deaths blamed on wolves prompt emergency in rural New Mexico

From APNews.com:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Commissioners in a rural New Mexico county say pets are being snatched from front yards and livestock are being maimed and killed by endangered Mexican gray wolves that seem to have no fear of humans, prompting them to declare a state of emergency.

In the latest flash point over efforts to reintroduce wolves into the western U.S., Catron County commissioners heard nearly three hours of testimony Thursday from frustrated ranchers and concerned rural residents — some of whom traveled from Arizona to attend the packed meeting. Dozens more joined online, including environmentalists and state and federal officials.

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California announces plans to relax protections for wolves as population grows

From MercuryNews.com:

In the latest sign that wolves are continuing to make a comeback across California after being hunted out of existence for nearly a century, state wildlife officials have announced that population numbers have increased enough that they plan to relax rules that have set strict protections on the high-profile species.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife said Thursday that the changes, when finalized by the end of this year, will allow ranchers and other rural property owners to obtain permits to use more aggressive methods to chase gray wolves away from livestock — including firing rubber bullets or bean bags to scare them away, and using ATVs, motorcycles or other equipment to chase them from herds of cattle or sheep.

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Working To Conserve Wolf Species While Protecting [California] Ranchers

From MyMotherLode.com:

Sonora, CA — As California’s gray wolf population grows, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is advancing the state’s management of this species to phase 2 and further supporting communities where they are known to reside.

In February, as reported here, CDWF staff captured twelve gray wolves between January 14 and the end of that month in Siskiyou, Lassen, Plumas, and Sierra counties, collared and released them back into the wild. At the end of 2024, there were seven known wolf packs in the state and four additional areas of known wolf activity. Most of those packs are in northeastern California, although one is in the southern Sierra Nevada. Five of the seven packs met CDFW’s definition of a “breeding pair” in 2024, meaning two adults and two or more pups surviving until the end of the year.

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