Lassen County Times
Aura Whittaker
Don’t look now, but Journey, the gray wolf formerly known as OR7, a lone male that traveled from Oregon into California last week, reportedly is now roaming in Lassen County.
It’s been 88 years since the last gray wolf (Canis lupus) in California was killed in Litchfield. Since then they have been on the California endangered species list, and gray wolves in other states have been fiercely protected. Wolves have proven themselves a resilient species, however, after nearly being extinguished by poisoning, trapping and shooting by various adversaries.
According to the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) website, any wild gray wolf that returns to California is protected as endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
This particular gray wolf has been collared with a Global Positioning System (GPS) device that periodically transmits his location, and biologists have been able to document his travels since he was collared as an approximately one and one-half year old, 80-pound male in February 2011.
OR7, which is the code that identifies this wolf’s GPS device, is said to be a member of the so-called Imnaha pack — Oregon’s oldest and largest. Wolves were re-established in Oregon in 1999, and there is evidence they are spreading across the Western states, possibly to start new packs. Other wolves have been reportedly seen near Walla Walla, Wash., and Pendleton, Ore.
The California Farm Bureau (CFB) has been watching the gray wolf’s advance very closely and dreading the likely clash between wolf and livestock. Its a matter of how big their numbers get, and how aggressive the wolves become, that determines how much of a problem it could be for ranchers in Lassen County.
According to Karen Kovacs, Wildlife Program Manager with the Northern Region Fish and Game Office in Redding, the four primary areas of concern regarding the reintroduction of gray wolves in our area are public safety, livestock detriment, big game population and the wellbeing of OR7.
Historically there have been instances where gray wolf predation has contributed to declines in deer and elk populations, however in most cases predation has had little effect, according to CDFG.
In a press release posted on CDFG website on Dec. 29, 2011, they explain “some gray wolves have killed livestock — mostly cattle and sheep — while others rely entirely on wild prey. In other western states the impact of depredation on livestock has been small, less than predation by coyotes and mountain lions, although the effect on an individual livestock producer can be important, particularly when sheep are killed.”
The press release continues to denounce concerns about human safety as “largely based on folklore and are unsubstantiated in North America. In recent years there was one human mortality in Canada caused either by wolves or bears, and one confirmed human mortality in Alaska by wolves. Based on experience from states where substantial wolf populations now exist, wolves pose little risk to humans.”
However, the CDFG does recommend people never approach a wolf, or otherwise tamper with or feed a wolf. Kovacs said to call the NRCFG Redding office at 530-225-2300 to report a sighting. She said to include the date and location of the sighting and take pictures (from a safe distance) of the animal and/or its footprints, if at all possible.
For more information you are invited to visit the Lassen County Board of Supervisors meeting at 9:30 am on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 707 Nevada St. in Susanville, where Kovacs will be presenting information about OR7 and the reintroduction of gray wolves in California.
If you can’t make the meeting, find information about OR7 and other gray wolves at dfg.ca.gov or dfw.state.or.us (search: wolf).