Posted on 04/02/2021 11:48:25 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Over the weekend wolf OR-93 had traversed the Central Valley and crossed Interstate 5 to enter San Benito County, but the wolf didn't stop there. He has continued west and now joins spring breakers in Monterey County.
Amaroq Weiss with the Center for Biological Diversity has been tracking OR-93's journey. Weiss said about 50% of young wolves leave their birth packs to start their own families.
"They are looking for a mate of their own and they are looking for a place to set up a territory, it's like an 18-year-old kid leaving home for the first time, going off to college or where ever they are going and establishing themselves," Weiss said.
What makes OR-93 different is he is the first known wolf to make it this far southwest since the 1800s. The young male was collared in June 2020 while still with his birth back near Mount Hood in Oregon. He left home in January and in just three months' time he crossed into California in Modoc County then headed to into the Sierra Nevada before turning west and finally crossing into the Central Coast.
In 2016 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife published its wolf plan and estimated the state could sustain 479 wolves. CDFW also put together a map of suitable wolf territory in the state based on forest cover and prey. The map shows Northern California and the Sierra as being the areas in the state best prepared to support packs but OR-93 has surprised science moving so far west.
"All the wolves that all have come to California since 2011 have all been within that map except for OR-93 has now stepped beyond that map, OR 93 has now stepped beyond the southern Sierra Foothills and come farther west, that's really remarkable," Weiss said.
A wolf in farmland may raise the hairs of ranchers in San Benito County worried about livestock degradation. But Weiss said there are plenty of deer and feral pigs for OR-93 to prey on and she reminds people that wolves are protected under the California Endangered Species Act.
For those interested in learning more about wolves Weiss is hosting a Zoom talk on The Return of the Wolf Saturday, April 17 at 4 p.m. The talk is free but you need to register in advance.
I just love being patronized.
The average wolf pack consists of 8 wolves. I'm so glad that California spent a lot of time and money to figure out where 60 wolf packs are allowed to live. In the ENTIRE STATE.
I wonder which the wolf would prefer to tangle with? A feral hog is a more dangerous animal than a heifer..
Ping
Gorgeous!
It’s funny to see him wearing a collar.
The Wolf That Discovered California
New members of the Lassen pack, 2-month-old pups frolic with year-old siblings. In 2020, the pack’s founding female bore another litter, of five pups, while one of her daughters gave birth to four. (Morgan Heim)
I have heard that wolves can travel more than 100 miles in a day. They have long legs.
Thanks for the ping, Nick.
I don’t think he’s going to have a lot of luck finding a mate in that area. He shouldn’t have taken that right turn in Modoc County.
It’s a covid collar coming to humans.
Maybe he will find his way into Golden Gate Park
The collar is purple. Must be a gay wolf. Redirect him north to San Francisco.
Oh how beautiful.
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