Four New Yet-To-Be-Named Wolf Packs Confirmed in California
Four New Yet-To-Be-Named Wolf Packs Confirmed in California Center for Biological Diversity
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California Department of Fish and Wildlife Reports Four New Wolf Packs
SAN FRANCISCO— The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported today that four new packs of wolves have been confirmed in California in the past five months.
With these four new yet-to-be-named packs, there are now eight wolf packs known to have established in California since 2015.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Goal 15: Life on Land
“Holy smokes what fantastic progress we’re witnessing in wolf recovery in California,” said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “I’m so grateful that both state and federal endangered species protections are allowing wolves to safely reestablish in the Golden State’s beautiful landscapes.”
The four new wolf families were discovered incrementally this year, with each confirmation demonstrating that, as predicted by scientists, California has ample suitable habitat for wolves.
Confirmed Wolf Packs in California
- Tehama County pack: Photographs of three wolves were captured on a trail camera on private land in March. The department is conducting surveys to determine their current numbers, origin, and if they had pups this spring.
- Plumas County pack: This pack has at least two adults and two pups. The breeding adults have been genetically identified as partial siblings from a double litter born to the Lassen pack in 2020. One of them has been captured and radio-collared.
- Lassen County pack: This pack has a minimum of two adults and an unknown number of pups. The breeding female is an offspring from the Whaleback pack’s 2021 litter, while her mate’s origin is yet unknown.
- Tulare County pack: The most recently discovered pack, seen in July in Giant Sequoia National Monument, consists of an adult female and four offspring. The adult female came from Oregon’s Rogue pack, and the sire of her offspring came from the Lassen pack’s 2020 double litter. This pack marks the southernmost location of any wolf pack in California in modern history.
“The homecoming of wolves to California is an epic story of a resilient species we once tried to wipe from the face of the Earth,” said Weiss. “It’s such a joyful moment to receive the news of these four new wolf families, and I hope to see them thrive in the years to come.”
The Shasta pack, California’s first confirmed wolf pack in nearly 100 years, was discovered in 2015 but disappeared a few months later. The three additional packs already established in California include the Lassen pack, the Whaleback pack, and the Beckwourth pack.
Background
The first wolf in nearly a century to make California part of his range was OR-7, a radio-collared wolf from Oregon that entered California in late 2011. OR-7 traveled across seven northeastern counties in California before returning to southwestern Oregon, where he found a mate and settled down, forming the Rogue pack. Several of OR-7’s offspring have since come to California and established packs, including the original breeding male of the Lassen pack and now, the breeding female of the new pack residing in Tulare County.
The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is native to California but was driven to extinction in the state by the mid-1920s. After OR-7 left Oregon for California, the Center and allies successfully petitioned the state to fully protect wolves under California’s endangered species act. Wolves are also federally protected in California under the federal Endangered Species Act. It is illegal to intentionally kill any wolves in the state.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
-
SDG 15: Life on Land
- Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
- Indicator 15.5.1: Red List Index
-
SDG 13: Climate Action
- Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
- Indicator 13.3.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula
Analysis
The article discusses the recovery of wolf populations in California, which is relevant to SDG 15: Life on Land. Target 15.5 specifically addresses the protection and prevention of the extinction of threatened species, which includes wolves. The article highlights the progress in wolf recovery in California, indicating that efforts to protect and conserve these species are yielding positive results.
The article also indirectly touches upon SDG 13: Climate Action. While not the main focus of the article, the presence of wolves in California can have implications for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Wolves play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance and biodiversity, which contributes to climate resilience. Target 13.3 emphasizes the importance of education and awareness-raising on climate change, which can include the role of apex predators like wolves in ecosystem health.
Regarding specific targets and indicators, the article does not provide detailed information on the progress towards achieving the targets. However, it does mention the establishment of new wolf packs and the genetic identification of breeding adults and pups. These can be seen as indicators of progress towards the targets of protecting threatened species (Target 15.5) and improving education and awareness on climate change (Target 13.3).
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. | Indicator 15.5.1: Red List Index |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning. | Indicator 13.3.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula |
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Source: biologicaldiversity.org
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