A new pack of endangered grey wolves have been spotted in a California national forest, as conservationists fight for increased protection of the endangered species.
The pack was discovered in the Sequoia national forest in southern California’s Tulare county, the state’s department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) confirmed.
The wolves were first spotted last month, leading researchers to examine tracks and collect DNA samples, the Associated Press reported.
Researchers found at least five grey wolves that have not been previously documented in California: an adult female wolf and four pups – two male pups and two female pups.
The adult female pup is descendant of OR-7, the first grey wolf identified in California in nearly 90 years. In 2011, OR-7 crossed into California from Oregon, the first wolf in nearly 100 years to make California a part of its territory, the AP reported.
Researchers believe that OR-7 eventually traveled back to Oregon and died there.
This latest pack was discovered hundreds of miles from the nearest known pack, located in Lassen Park in north-eastern California.
“This recently detected group of wolves is at least 200 straight-line miles from the nearest known California pack and demonstrates the species’ amazing ability to disperse long distances and take advantage of the state’s plentiful suitable habitat,” Pamela Flick, California program director for Defenders of Wildlife, said in a statement.
Grey wolves were plentiful throughout California prior to the 1920s. But hunting, trapping and other activities drove them to extinction.
In recent decades, wolves from other states have crossed into California, helping to boost the state’s grey wolf population.
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State and federal law prohibit wolves from being hunted in California, but conservationists have spent recent years petitioning for increased protections for grey wolves.
During the Trump administration, conservation efforts for grey wolves were rolled back across the US, prompting concern over the rise of wolf hunting.
The Biden administration supported the rollback of such protections, but a federal court decision has restored federal wolf protection in 44 out of 48 states, the New York Times reported.
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