The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Grey Wolf page details the depredation reports on private lands in April, May, and June.
There are currently 7 known wolf packs in California. The newest are the Yowlumni Pack in Tulare County, the Eastern Plumas Beyem Seyo Pack, and the Lassen County Harvey Pack. The largest is the Whaleback Pack in Siskiyou County. Additionally, there are the Antelope Pack in Sierra and Nevada Counties and the Beckwourth Pack in Sierra and Plumas Counties.
All depredation reports were made within at least the next day of the reported death by investigators with the CDFW or USDA Wildlife Services.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recorded the following wolf depredation incidents between April and June. Here are the key details from their reports:
April 2024: CDFW confirmed two wolf depredations, resulting in the loss of two calves. These incidents occurred in the regions known to be frequented by the Whaleback Pack and Harvey Pack in Eastern Shasta and Eastern Siskiyou counties.
May 2024: Five confirmed depredation events led to losing four calves and one llama. These events were primarily attributed to the Whaleback Pack and the Beyem Seyo Pack, which occurred in Eastern Siskiyou and Eastern Plumas.
June 2024: Three depredation incidents occurred; only one was confirmed in Eastern Plumas County. A calf was killed by a collard wolf in the Beyem Seyo Pack. The other two were reported as unknown in Eastern Sierra County, where the carcass of a calf was too far along in decomposition to determine a cause. Yet, a Wildlife Services investigator noted video evidence of a wolf in the same pasture was captured just days before the killing. The third report indicated a calf’s death in the Beyem Seyp Pack area as a non-depredation, as the carcass showed no signs of wolf predation despite tracks near the calf.
Over the three months, eight confirmed livestock losses occurred in the various regions across Northern California.
The CDFW had implemented a wolf-livestock compensation plan for ranchers experiencing confirmed wolf conflict in 2017, yet the funding for the program was exhausted in April of this year.
However, as ongoing challenges of coexistence between wolves and livestock in California continue with the increase in the state’s wolf population, the California Cattlemen’s Association announced that they successfully secured $600,000 in the revised 2024-25 State Budget for the Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program. Although less than initially sought, this funding will prioritize direct loss compensation for livestock owners affected by wolf depredation. The renewed funding follows the CCA’s and its partners’ extensive advocacy efforts, ensuring continued support for ranchers in wolf-populated areas .
The CDFW says it continues to monitor these events closely, implementing measures to mitigate conflicts between wolves and livestock owners. For more detailed information, you can visit the CDFW Gray Wolf webpage.
Photo: Probable wolf depredation on May 21st in Eastern Siskiyou County on Private land in the Whaleback Pack Territory
