Through conservation efforts, California's wolf packs have grown little by little. However, one breeding male and female recently significantly contributed to the growing population of what's known as the Whaleback pack. The pair, who call Siskiyou County home, had eight wolf pups in the spring, which the California Department of Fish and Wildlife just confirmed. The litter is the largest in almost a century, and adding these new pups brings the pack up to 15.
It's a positive note in the restoration of the far-north pack and demonstrates that recovery efforts are having a positive impact. Biologist Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, told the San Francisco Chronicle, "Having eight pups is not unheard of, but it's exciting. The wolves (in California) are doing pretty darn well."
In the 1920s, California's wolf population was nearly wiped out by hunters and trappers. It wasn't until 2011 that a wolf was seen in the state again, and it came in from Oregon. Over the last decade, that lone wolf has grown into three small wolf packs.
"I would say that our formation of packs here is going along pretty swimmingly," Weiss said. If more wolves cross state lines to join these packs, it will promote genetic diversity and create more pups.
The Whaleback pack was first seen in 2020. Seven newborns were documented last year, and five are still with the pack in eastern Siskiyou and northern Shasta County. Wolves tend to leave the pack around two years of age, so the five young wolves will likely leave next year.
The other two packs are the Lassen pack and the Beckwourth pack. The Lassen pack stays mostly in western Lassen and northern Plumas, while the Beckwourth pack stays in south Lassen and Plumas counties. The Beckwourth pack surfaced last year and has two to three wolves and possibly one pup. The Lassen pack is a little larger, with two breeding females, and in 2020 had two litters for nine pups total. Other lone wolves have been observed wandering in and out of California, giving hope for possible future packs.
