Wolf Makes Record 500-Mile Journey From Oregon To California

CALIFORNIA — A certain adventurous gray wolf just made the farthest journey south across the Golden State of any tracked wolf in nearly a century, state wildlife officials said Monday.

The GPS-tracked wolf — dubbed OR-93 — was first collared in June 2020 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon. The young male wolf left his pack along the White River, southeast of Mount Hood.

"Like many young wolves, he subsequently left his pack in search of a new territory and/or a mate," officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement.

Shortly after, he embarked on a 500-mile trek from Oregon to central Fresno County — each step chronicled by his GPS collar.

Over the past several weeks, he traveled from Mono County, through parts of Tuolumne, Mariposa, Merced and Madera counties, the state agency said. The last collar reading showed him traversing agricultural areas of central Fresno County.

It is the farthest south that any collared wolf has been tracked, and a signal that gray wolves may be returning to their native lands in California. Gray wolves are rare in the Golden State these days and they haven't been around much since the 1920s.

Only about 11 gray wolves are roaming in California now of their own accord. Since, 2014, gray wolves have been federally listed as endangered, but effective Jan. 1, these wolves were taken off that list.

In California, gray wolves are still listed as endangered.

"It is unlawful to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap or capture gray wolves," according to the state.

It remains unclear just why wolves decide to leave California, according to the state agency.

"There is no definitive answer," according to the department. "Studies demonstrate that human activity can have a negative impact on wolf populations, particularly where there are roads and agricultural activity."

The agency added: "Wolves were likely killed to control predation on other animals. Other factors, including hunting, may have contributed to their extirpation from California."

Anyone who believes they have seen a wolf in California can report it to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife here.

"Gray wolves pose very little safety risk to humans," the department said.

The state said it will continue to track the whereabouts of the plucky young wolf as he ventures farther south.