Another Northern California Sheriff Urges Lawmakers to Rethink Wolf Protections
Another Northern California sheriff is calling on lawmakers to reexamine gray wolf protections as attacks on livestock—and now residential areas—continue to escalate. Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher joins Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue in raising serious concerns about the state’s current wolf management policies.
In a recent statement, Sheriff Fisher described a “siege” in Sierra Valley, where at least 18 confirmed wolf attacks have occurred in the past month. The attacks have killed or severely injured calves and cows across multiple ranches, even while California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) game wardens were on patrol.
But the threat is no longer limited to ranchlands. Last week, deputies responded to a 911 call reporting a suspected wolf attack on a deer just 100 yards from a community lodge in Sierra Brooks. Hours later, bloody wolf tracks were discovered on a local resident’s porch, with an elk carcass found just 50 yards away.
The sheriff shared photos of the scene on social media:
“These wolves are demonstrating very little fear of humans and are moving closer and closer into our residential areas,” Fisher said. “This escalating behavior represents a serious public safety concern.”
The sheriff criticized the current “hazing” policies for managing wolves as ineffective, especially for large-scale ranch operations.
Sheriff LaRue of Siskiyou County issued a similar public call earlier this year, asking state officials to reconsider wolf protections under the Endangered Species Act due to increasing livestock losses.
The reintroduction and natural migration of wolves into California have been facilitated by individuals like OR-7, an Oregon wolf that ventured into California in 2011, paving the way for subsequent packs to establish themselves in the state. The gray wolf, native to California but extinct by the 1920s due to hunting and habitat loss, is now protected under both state and federal endangered species acts, reflecting concerted efforts to ensure their survival and prosperity in California’s diverse landscapes.
With wolf activity intensifying across rural Northern California, pressure is mounting on lawmakers and CDFW to revisit how the state manages the growing predator population.
