Grey Wolves Confirmed In Lassen County
By Melissa Wynn
According the California Department of Fish and Wildlife there are two gray wolves currently living in western Lassen County. After a wolf-like canid was photographed by trail cameras in Lassen County in fall 2015 and spring 2016, CDFW set additional trail cameras in the area and began regularly searching for wolf scat, tracks and other evidence of their presence. This summer, photographs, tracks and eyewitness sightings suggested the presence of two canids frequently traveling together here in our back yard. CDFW reports that “Analysis of scat indicates that the male wolf was born into the Rogue Pack in 2014, and most likely dispersed to Lassen County in late 2015 or 2016. The founder of the Rogue Pack is the well-known gray wolf OR7.
The DNA of the female wolf does not match that of any known individual wolves from Oregon, and initial analyses indicates she is not a close relative of current Oregon wolves. Dispersing wolves have commonly been documented to travel great distances, and it is possible that she dispersed from another western state. The collection of higher-quality genetic samples may eventually lead to a better understanding of her origin.”
If this pair of rare canines sticks around further study will include capturing at least one of the two and fitting it with a satellite-based GPS transmitting collar. CDFW further states that “The purpose of collaring gray wolves is to understand some key biological parameters such as habitat use, prey preferences and reproduction, as well as to potentially minimize wolf-livestock conflicts” said Karen Kovacs, a CDFW Wildlife Program Manager who has studied the wolves. Read the full story and view more pics here.
Courtesy of cdfgnews.wordpress.com
