Lassen and Plumas County have newly named wolf packs as the protected predator continues to thrive in the state.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed these packs last summer and officially announced their names on January 30th.
In Plumas County, the newly named wolf family is the Beyem Seyo pack, while in Lassen County, it is the Harvey pack. Another pack was discovered in 2023, the Yowl-umni pack, which ranges in Tulare County and received its name in December.
According to the department’s count, California is currently home to approximately 45 wolves, including adults, yearlings, and pups. The CDFW says the Plumas Beyem Seyo pack consists of at least two adults and six pups, while the Harvey pack includes at least two adults and one pup.
The established Lassen pack comprises a minimum of two adults, five yearlings, and three pups, while the Whaleback pack is composed of at least two adults, one yearling, and eight pups. The newly discovered Yowl-umni pack consists of two adults and six pups.
CDFW biologists add that there are two unnamed wolf groups including a group of two to three wolves in Tehama County and a group of three wolves in Sierra and Nevada counties.
The first wolf to make California part of its range in nearly a century was OR-7, a radio-collared wolf from Oregon that entered the state in late 2011. Several of OR-7’s offspring have since come to California and established packs, including the original breeding male of the Lassen pack and the breeding female of the Yowlumni pack.
