A Golden State Gray Wolf Update

For our news today, I’m looking to information provided in a recent weekly update from the California Cattlemen’s Association on one of those topics that is always spicy hot: wolves here in the Golden State.

They report that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently issued a Wolf News Update, highlighting developments in gray wolf activity and livestock impacts. The update includes confirmation of five new livestock depredations in September and October. This brings 2024’s confirmed losses to 44 livestock across 38 incidents.

For the first time, the agency did not report a total wolf population, focusing instead on reproduction and mortality within breeding packs. Based on past data and no reported changes, the California Cattlemen’s Association estimates at least 65 resident wolves, plus additional wolves in eastern Shasta and Tehama counties.

CDFW also identified a new group, the Diamond Pack, in Plumas and Lassen counties, and mapped another possible pack spanning multiple counties. California now has eight wolf packs, though only five are considered reproductive.