SACRAMENTO, Feb. 29 (UPI) — A wolf being tracked in California has traveled more than 1,000 miles in the state’s wilderness areas in search of a mate and a new home, officials say.
The wolf dubbed Journey, tracked by a radio collar since he wandered south from his original home in northeastern Oregon, is demonstrating the importance of wilderness areas that serve as safe corridors for migrating wildlife, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
Scientists have long considered wilderness as worth preserving to create parks and so-called “green corridors” for wildlife, and Journey is proving the corridors actually work, conservation experts said.
“If you look at the map of where Journey has gone, he’s really hit some of the best wild places,” Laurel Williams of the California Wilderness Coalition said.
“And many of them are not yet protected, formally, as wilderness. It just really speaks to how important these places are for such an amazing creature and that we should be working to protect them.
“We haven’t had wolves in California for such a long time. This is a unique opportunity to see on the ground what’s important. We don’t have active legislation for these places right now.
“We’re just hoping someone will step up and bring these places into protection.”