A gray wolf pack has established itself in Northern California, state wildlife officials confirmed on August 20, 2015.
It’s the first family of wolves known in the state in nearly 100 years.
The group — two adult black-furred gray wolves and five 4-month-old pups — will be known as the Shasta Pack.
State wildlife authorities last year added gray wolves to California’s endangered species list, even though no wolves were known to be in the state. Officials said they anticipated that wolves beginning to establish in Oregon would eventually find their way into California’s northern counties.
But biologists did not anticipate discovering an established pack in the state this soon. California’s plan to manage wolves is not yet complete.
“We were really excited if not amazed” at how rapidly wolves have reappeared in Northern California, said Eric Loft, chief of the Wildlife Branch of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. “They have beat us to the punch.”