A new wolf pack, irate ranchers, and the astonishing comeback of California’s most celebrated predator
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Gray wolves, wiped out in California by hunters and trappers a century ago, have been trickling back in over the past decade: a lone wolf here and a pack there, mostly near the Oregon border. In the past year, however, the population has soared, with at least eight packs — the latest documented just last week — now established as far south as Tulare County and untold numbers looking to start new packs.
The recently discovered pack was confirmed on trail-camera footage in Lassen National Forest. It consists of at least two adults and two pups, according to state officials, providing yet more evidence that wolves appear to be in California to stay.
Until this past year, the concerns about wolves had been limited mostly to parts of Lassen, Plumas and Siskiyou counties. However, as wolves spread, so have the problems, which are now top of the agenda for the California Cattlemen’s Association and state Farm Bureau. Members of these organizations have pushed to delist or down-list wolves from California’s Endangered Species Act in hope of giving ranchers more flexibility to deal with the carnivore — namely, to shoot problem wolves.
