The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed the presence of three new wolf packs in the state: the Ishi pack in eastern Tehama County, the Tunnison pack in central Lassen County, and the Ashpan pack in eastern Shasta County. This brings the total number of known wolf packs in California to ten.
Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, expressed optimism about the continued growth of California’s wolf population and emphasized the need for efforts to ensure their thriving. The confirmation of these new packs reflects ongoing progress in the reestablishment and recovery of wolves on the West Coast, with the first packs being confirmed in Washington and Oregon in 2008, followed by California in 2015. By the end of 2024, it is projected that there will be 75 individual wolf pack territories across California, Oregon, and Washington.
A time-lapse map created by the Center illustrates the growth of wolf populations in the region from 2008 to 2024, highlighting that many areas with suitable habitat remain unoccupied. With the addition of the Ishi, Tunnison, and Ashpan packs, there are now at least 78 wolf family territories on the West Coast.
California’s existing packs include the Whaleback Pack in Siskiyou County, the Lassen Pack in Lassen and Plumas counties, the Diamond Pack in Plumas and Lassen counties, the Beyem Seyo Pack in Sierra County, the Ice Cave Pack in Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, and Tehama counties, the Harvey Pack in Lassen and Shasta counties, and the Yowlumni Pack in Tulare County. Additionally, there are two small groups of two to three wolves each in northern California that currently do not qualify as packs.
The department’s latest quarterly report indicates the detection of a dispersing wolf in central Kern County and an investigation into the deaths of two wolves from the Yowlumni pack. Weiss noted the challenges faced by California wolves due to misinformation and highlighted the rarity of conflicts between livestock, wolves, and humans.
Historically, the gray wolf was native to California but faced extinction in the state by the mid-1920s. The first wolf to re-enter California in nearly a century was OR-7, a radio-collared wolf from Oregon, who traveled across several northeastern counties before returning to Oregon, where he formed the Rogue Pack. His descendants have played a crucial role in the establishment of current wolf packs in
