Gray Wolves Make Remarkable Comeback in California

Newsweek - Published December 27, 2024
By Giulia Carbonaro

US News Reporter

Endangered gray wolves are thriving in California after returning to the Golden State nearly a century after being wiped out in the 1920s.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates that there are now at least 70 gray wolves in the state, up from 44 documented the year before.

Newsweek reached out to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for comment via email on Friday.

Why It Matters

Gray wolves were native to California but are considered to have been likely extirpated from the state in the 1920s. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the last gray wolf was killed in 1924 in Lassen County, and there had been no sighting of the animal until 2011.

The department said that gray wolves returned to the state on their own, thanks to individual animals leaving their original pack in other nearby states. The first pack was established in the state in 2015, and since then, California has continued growing its gray wolf population. Although their numbers are rising, the species is still considered endangered in California. Read More