A brand-new southernmost gray wolf pack has been confirmed prowling in Tulare County, a part of California's Central Valley. An extremely rare species in the State and highly endangered in general, and it just so happens that they are directly descended from the state's most famous wolf, OR7, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
The historic presence of gray wolves in California can be traced back nearly a century, with the native species estimated to have been wiped out in the 1920s, according to the CDFW's Gray Wolf Program, but gray wolves have made a natural comeback to the Golden State, without any human assistance or reintroduction efforts. The first significant sign of this resurgence came in 2011, when OR7, a lone wolf from Oregon, crossed into California, making it the first known wolf to make the state its territory in decades.
Since then, several gray wolves have dispersed into California from neighboring states, leading to the formation of the first known pack in modern times, the Shasta Pack, a pack which has since become inactive. There are now a total of four known active packs inhabiting various counties in California, three of which reside in the northern region: the Whaleback Pack in Siskiyou County, the Lassen Pack in southern Lassen and northern Plumas counties, and the Beckwourth Pack in Plumas and Sierra counties.
The newly discovered Tulare County pack, now the southernmost pack in the state, was identified after the CDFW investigated a reported wolf sighting in the Sequoia National Forest this past July. Swift action led to the collection of 12 scat and hair samples from the area for DNA analysis, and after careful examination at the CDFW’s Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, it was determined that all 12 samples indeed came from gray wolves. Exciting news for conservationists, the pack consists of at least five individuals not previously detected in California, including one adult female who is a direct descendant of the legendary OR7, accompanied by her four offspring (two males and two females). This revelation breathes new life into the tale of OR7, whose legacy now continues with this newly-discovered pack.
