Number of Wolves in Golden State Rises to 62. Photo courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (MPG) - Five of California’s seven known wolf families have produced pups this year, according to a quarterly report published on Sept. 6 by the California Department of Fish and Game. These 30 new pups bring the total number of known wolves in California to 62.

“Seeing wolves return to the places this magnificent species once called home and have these adorable new pups is as inspiring as it gets,” said Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “At least five California packs have now created families. That’s a testament to the visionary power and strong enforcement of the federal and state endangered species acts.”

The agency’s report said the Lassen pack’s litter consists of five pups, the Whaleback pack produced six pups, the Beyem Seyo pack had five pups, and the Harvey pack produced seven pups. The state’s southernmost pack, the Yowlumni pack, produced seven pups. The packs for which no pups were confirmed to have been born this spring are the Antelope pack and the Beckwourth pack.

Four of the five wolf families that reproduced this year are composed of two adult breeding animals, several yearlings from last year’s litters and the new pups born this spring. One pack has only adults and new pups but no yearlings.

There are a total of 11 wolves in the Lassen pack, 13 for Whaleback, seven for Beyem Seyo, 10 for Harvey, two for Antelope and 15 for Yowlumni. While the Beckwourth pack was not seen this quarter, last quarter the pack consisted of two wolves. These seven distinct wolf families inhabit portions of six counties, including Siskiyou, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Nevada and Tulare counties.

In addition, small groups of wolves or lone wolves — a total of four wolves during this quarter — were sighted in Tehama and Plumas counties. Surveys are continuing for wolves seen in the recent past in Modoc County.

Wolves are fully protected in California under the federal Endangered Species Act and under California’s own endangered species act.

The reestablishment of wolves in California after a nearly 100-year absence began when wolf OR-7, a radio-collared wolf born in northeast Oregon, made his way across that state in late 2011 and entered California. His daughter is a founding member of the Yowlumni pack in Tulare County.

“I’m overjoyed that California now has an estimated 62 wolves in the state,” said Weiss. “It’s a great start, but we’ve got more work to do. California wolves need to keep their strong state and federal protections if they’re going to fully recover and thrive here.”