California Kills Wolf Pack, Finds Another One

California wildlife officials have confirmed the existence of a new wolf pack in southern Plumas County, bringing the state's total number of wolf packs back to 10. The new group, known as the Grizzly pack, was given official status after a pup was spotted on a remote trail camera, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's latest report. Officials say evidence of reproduction is one of the criteria for pack status, SFGate reports. The pack includes a male wolf from Oregon and a female from California's Lassen pack, reports the Los Angeles Times.

• This is the fourth new pack identified in California this year, a sign that the state's wolf population continues to recover as wolves from neighboring states like Oregon establish new groups and reproduce. In 2015, official said they were "amazed" to find a wolf pack in the state for the first time in almost a century.

• The Grizzly pack was found in the remote Sierra Valley, where the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range meet. The discovery comes shortly after Fish and Wildlife killed four members of a different pack in the same region due to repeated cattle losses—70 in under six months. It was the first lethal action California had taken against wolves since their return to the state. Despite extensive nonlethal efforts, including drones and 24/7 field teams, officials say the wolves had become "habituated to cattle as a primary food source" instead of their usual prey of elk and deer. Authorities are hoping to relocate any surviving juveniles from the Beyem Seyo pack to sanctuaries.
• Ranchers like Rick Roberti say the losses were so frequent he stopped reporting them. "Ranchers don't want to see all the wolves removed, but we do want the right to protect our private property just just like anybody would with property," Roberti tells SFGate. "We're not rejoicing. It was bad for the wolves, and it was a terrible summer for us, and stressful financially. But we're sleeping a little better now."

• Axel Hunnicutt, gray wolf coordinator for Fish and Wildlife, says the state's wolf population is growing and "robust," with at least 31 pups born the year and the formation of two more packs expected, the Los Angeles Times reports. He says the Whaleback pack had a record 10 pups this year.
• "This year has brought both joyful and tragic news about wolves' homecoming to California, but I'm elated there's a new pack and more than 30 new pups roaming our state," said Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a news release. "Wolves are still in the early stages of recovery in California and these new arrivals keep their recovery on a positive trajectory."