(AP) – The wandering wolf OR-7 is in his second week back from California and has moved to Jackson County in southwestern Oregon, where he’s been feeding on a dead elk.
State wildlife biologist Mark Vargas tells the Medford Mail Tribune that he found fresh wolf tracks and got close enough for a strong signal from the radio transmitter in the wolf’s collar.
Vargas says it appears the cow elk died on its own over the winter — there are no signs of a struggle.
The biologist says he found only a single set of wolf tracks, so OR-7 hasn’t found the mate experts think he’s seeking. No other wolves are known in southwest Oregon, and OR-7’s epic journey from northeastern Oregon may be in vain. He re-entered Oregon in Klamath County.