A thrilling discovery has been made in California’s Sierra Nevada – a new pack of gray wolves has appeared, hundreds of miles away from any other known population of this endangered species. Wildlife officials announced this exciting news on Friday.
It’s a discovery that will make researchers howl with delight, considering that the native species was hunted to extinction in California in the 1920s. Only in the past decade or so have a few gray wolves returned to the state from packs outside its borders.
Last month, a wolf sighting in Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County led researchers to find tracks and collect DNA samples from fur and droppings, as reported by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
After analyzing the evidence, researchers determined that there is a new pack of at least five wolves that were previously unknown in California – an adult female and her four offspring.
This pack is located at least 200 miles (321.8 kilometers) away from the nearest known pack, which is in Lassen Park in northeastern California. There is also a third pack based in Northern California.
Gray wolves are protected by both state and federal law under the Endangered Species Act, making it illegal to harm or kill them.
DNA testing revealed that the adult female in the new pack is a direct descendant of a wolf known as OR7. In 2011, OR7 crossed the state line from Oregon, becoming the first wolf in nearly a century to include California in its range, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. OR7 later returned to Oregon and is believed to have died there.
Although no trace of an adult male was found in the new pack, genetic profiles of the offspring indicate that they are descended from the Lassen Pack, as confirmed by wildlife officials.
