Wildlife

Rare Sighting: Bobcat Seen on Trail Camera in Shasta-Trinity National Forest

A recent sighting of a bobcat captured on one of Shasta-Trinity National Forest’s game cameras has sparked local intrigue. Bobcats,…

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Chinook Salmon Return to Feather River as Hatchery Fish Ladder Opens

As the natural cycle of life unfolds, Chinook salmon are making their triumphant return to the Feather River. Commencing on…

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What the Heck Is It? Weird Creature Found on Point Reyes Beach.

Photos of a mysterious creature are circulating online after it was photographed on a Point Reyes beach earlier this week.…

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Watch as an Osprey Steals a Fish from Fishing Guides on the Lower Sacramento River

As the crew of the Kennedy Brothers fly fishing guide service was fishing from a boat on the Lower Sacramento…

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Officials Plead with Public to Help Keep Bear Cubs Alive in Yosemite

Photo via Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park is issuing a heartfelt plea to drivers to play their part in…

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Throwback: Kings Beach Gas Station Employee Confronts Tahoe Bear Attempting to Break into Store

The recent weeks have seen a lot of videos of bears entering businesses for human food in the Lake Tahoe…

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Watch a Mountain Lion in a Standoff with Coyotes in Yosemite

This video is old, but boy does it show the chaotic wildlife of Yosemite National Park in action. The below…

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Bear Biologists Offer Advice to Visitors on Late-Season Camping Trips in Tahoe Basin

As visitors flock to the Tahoe Basin for one last summer camping excursion, biologists have some valuable insights to share…

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Environmentalists Call For the Suspension of Logging Operations to Protect California’s Newest Wolf Pack

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) uncovered an astonishing revelation earlier this month – the presence of a…

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NPS Considers Proposal to Allow Tule Elk Herd to Roam Free in Tomales Bay Area of Point Reyes

The National Park Service has put forth a proposal to allow a tule elk herd to roam freely within the…

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WATCH: Two Young Bears Wrestle on the Front Porch of a South Lake Tahoe Home

While many individuals install security cameras with the intention of safeguarding their property, an unexpected perk emerges in the form…

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This Video of Bear Cubs Climbing the Snow in Lassen Volcanic National Park Will Melt Your Heart

We just love to see videos of the bears roaming around Northern California, and this video taken in Lassen Volcanic…

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Wild Turkey Survives for Months with Arrow Through Its Chest in Monterey County

In a bewildering yet inspiring tale, a wild turkey, dubbed Cupid, has been living with a 2½-foot arrow lodged through…

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Bear Cubs Captured in Tahoe Now Thriving at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue

Three black bear cubs, recently captured in a South Lake Tahoe neighborhood, are flourishing under the care of Sonoma County…

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Bears Are Climbing Yosemite’s Half Dome. Here’s What to Do if You Encounter One.

Yosemite’s iconic Half Dome, renowned for its breathtaking vistas, might offer more than panoramic views. Recent evidence suggests black bears…

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‘Succession’ Actor Details Her Painful Experience Being Attacked by an Otter in the Feather River

Otters, renowned for their charming habits like hand-holding and rock collecting, are making headlines for their aggressive behavior towards humans.…

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Annual Snorkel Survey Aims to Monitor Wild Fish Species on the Trinity River

Photo: Shasta Trinity National Forest The thriving ecosystem of the Trinity River basin plays a vital role in sustaining the…

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Record Number of Bears Hit by Cars in Lake Tahoe this Month

Photo: California State Parks A critical warning for anyone planning a trip to Lake Tahoe, as this year has witnessed…

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New Wolf Pack Found in Sequoia National Forest Shocks Wildlife Officials

Photo: CDFW The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has just revealed the shocking discovery of a new gray…

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Butte Creek Turns Blood Orange After PG&E Canal Failure

Photo by He-Lo Ramirez (via CalTrout) An unsettling sight unfolded on Friday as Butte Creek took on an unexpected hue…

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Yosemite Rangers are Encouraging the Public to Stop and Look at Bear Poop

Yosemite National Park Rangers are making quite the call to hikers: keep your gaze down and be on the lookout…

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What Will the Klamath River Look Like Without Dams? Here’s a Lesson from the Largest Dam Removal in U.S. History.

While the removal of four hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River is currently underway, the actual restoration of the river…

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Famed 400-Pound Bear ‘Hank the Tank’ Finally Captured in South Lake Tahoe

Wildlife officials successfully immobilized and apprehended the notorious 400-pound black bear known as “Hank the Tank” in South Lake Tahoe.…

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Video of Shasta Lake Woodpecker Caught on Tree Shows the Importance of Cleaning Up Fishing Line

A video was sent to us by Spencer Mojarro showing him rescuing a woodpecker stuck in fishing line along the…

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The History of the McCloud River and its World-Famous Fish

Photo: California Trout It’s the strangest feeling. I can be standing for hours in a rushing trout stream totally absorbed…

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Dealing with Bear Encounters in the Northern California Wilderness

A bear with a tasty treat along Shasta Lake When bears turn up on city streets or caught foraging in…

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People Are Rooting for Santa Cruz’s Famed Otter 841 to Elude Captivity. Here’s Why.

Over the past couple of weeks, a charming sea otter known as Otter 841 has become the center of attention…

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VIDEO: Tahoe Bear Completely Destroys Interior of Car After Getting Trapped Inside

In South Lake Tahoe, a bear created havoc inside a woman’s car after accidentally getting trapped inside. Video footage captured…

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Lake Monsters: Here’s Why Sturgeon Grow to Be So Big in Shasta Lake

Massive sturgeon caught on Shasta Lake in 2018. Photo: Sou Saephan For anyone who’s been lucky enough to take a…

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Passengers Freak Out as Rattlesnake Attempts to Climb on Boat in Folsom Lake

We all know where to avoid rattlesnakes – in hot fields with dead grass, under rocks in hot climates –…

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An Overnight Trip to Tangle Blue Lake in the Trinity Alps Wilderness

Photo: Elizabeth Strube/All Trails We had it in our mind that the hike to Tangle Blue Lake was going to…

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Santa Cruz’s Infamous Surfing Otter Eludes Capture from Fish and Wildlife Officials

The elusive surfing otter of Santa Cruz, known for its board-pilfering antics and aggressive behavior towards surfers, managed to evade…

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VIDEO: Momma Bear and Cubs Take a Dip at a Crowded Lake Tahoe Beach

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jen Watkins (@goldcountrycandles) A momma bear and her three cubs were…

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VIDEO: Housecat Takes on Approaching Bobcat Outside Humboldt House

A lot of people would fear a bobcat if they saw it in the wild. But some housecats aren’t scared…

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How to Experience Being Surrounded by Millions of Butterflies on Lassen Peak

Lassen Peak is known to many as Northern California’s most active volcano, having erupted just over 100 years ago. The…

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Wolverine Spotted in California for Just the Second Time in 100 Years

In a thrilling development, California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains have seen multiple sightings of a wolverine, believed to be the…

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WATCH: Bear Gets Swept Downstream Trying to Swim Across the Raging Yuba River

View this post on Instagram A post shared by KCRA (@kcranews) Over the past weekend in Nevada County, a black…

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WATCH: Adorable Bear Cubs Shimmy Up a Lake Tahoe Tree

On May 11, 2023, UPS delivery driver Mason Rogers had a memorable encounter with wildlife during his route in Tahoe…

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New Agreement Hopes to Bring Salmon and Sturgeon Back to the Yuba River

In an ambitious effort to restore watershed and boost native fish species in California, a collaboration between state, federal, and…

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California Imposes Full Closure on Salmon Fishing in Select Waterways

In a bid to save dwindling Chinook salmon populations, the California Fish and Game Commission has voted unanimously to impose…

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Have Your Say on Elk Conservation: Join CDFW’s Public Meetings in Northern California

In a move that promises a more inclusive approach to managing the North Coast Roosevelt Elk, the California Department of…

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Wildlife Expert Documents a Coyote and Her Pups Living Under a Tahoe Home

A South Lake Tahoe home had unexpected guests for two weeks as a family of coyotes settled into a crawl…

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2 Dead Whales Wash Ashore on Point Reyes Beaches

Two gray whales were discovered dead this past weekend on beaches at Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, authorities…

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Groundbreaking Partnership Promises to Return Salmon to Waterways Above Shasta Dam

According to legend, when white settlers arrived in Northern Californian in the 1800’s, there were so many salmon in the…

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COVID-19 Virus Detected in Free-Ranging California Wildlife for the First Time

Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, has been discovered for the first time…

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Thousands of Blue Creatures Wash Ashore on California Beaches. What the Heck Are They?

Visitors to California beaches are seeing weird little creatures along the beach in the month of April. So what the…

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WATCH: Drunk Hotel Guest Nearly Bumps Into Bear in South Lake Tahoe

There you have it folks – this is what you get when you mix casinos and 24-hour bars with the…

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California Allocates $36 Million to Preserving Salmon Habitats

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced plans to allocate nearly $36 million to projects aimed at…

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VIDEO: Roosevelt Elk Take Down ‘Wild Elk’ Sign in Redwood National Park

Photo: Terry Feuerborn Roosevelt Elk are known to call the Redwood National Park home. There are seven herds in the…

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Lake Oroville Flows Increased to Assist in Spring Salmon Releases

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has temporarily raised the release of water from Lake Oroville to the Feather…

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7-Foot Alligator Discovered in the American River. How Did it Get There?

Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife In an unexpected turn of events, a 7-foot alligator was discovered in the…

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Is There a Brand-New Wolfpack in Northern California? Photos Show Unidentified Wolves in Sierra Foothills.

Trail cam photo of the new wolves spotted in Tehama County. Photo by Brian Baly State officials are working to…

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‘California Salmon are in Dire Straits’: State Officials Expected to Shut Down Salmon Fishing

Officials are expected to shut down all commercial and recreational salmon fishing in California and much of Oregon for 2023…

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Rare Video Shows 30 Orcas Brutally Attacking Whales in Monterey Bay

On Thursday, a rare occurrence of orcas attacking adult gray whales was recorded in Monterey Bay. Evan Brodsky, who was…

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Point Reyes Tule Elk Herds Bounce Back After Devastating Drought Die-Off

Photo by Hari Nandakumar Tule elk herds at Point Reyes National Seashore have shown significant recovery this winter after a considerable…

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Wildlife Officials Capture, Collar Two Gray Wolves in Siskiyou County

Photo: CDFW The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has successfully captured, collared, and released two gray wolves in…

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California’s Historic Rain is Helping the Survival of Hatchery Raised Chinook Salmon

Anticipating good conditions for the survival of hatchery-produced Chinook salmon throughout the Sacramento River and tributaries, the California Department of…

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Federal Government Contributing $548,000 for Restoration of the Eel River Fishery

Photo via Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bureau of Land Management is supporting restoration…

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Officials Using Helicopters to Capture, Collar Wolves and Other Wildlife in Rural Northern California

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) this week initiated efforts to capture wolves, elk and deer by helicopter…

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California Water Board Suspends Laws Protecting Salmon in the Delta

California’s State Water Resources Control Board has temporarily suspended state rules that require water to be released from Central Valley…

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New Documentary Follows the Lives of ‘Urbanized’ Bears in Lake Tahoe

Photo via Riley McClaughry Bear sightings in the communities surrounding Lake Tahoe have grown at an astonishing rate in the…

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A Wild Life: Stories of Bear and Rattlesnake Encounters in the NorCal Wilderness

When you spend enough time in wild places, you’re bound to run into a few of the creatures that call…

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Exterminator Finds Woodpecker’s 700-Pound Acorn Stash in Northern California Home

While exterminator Nick Castro was inspecting for mealworms at a home in Santa Rosa, he instead discovered a bird’s glorious…

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Tahoe Residents Asked to Keep an Eye Out for Orphaned Bear Cub that Escaped from Facility

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care are seeking help from the public in locating…

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Rare “Mutant” Coyotes with Blue Eyes are Only Found in Northern California

Scientists are following a trend of coyote sightings in Northern California, but these coyotes are rare. In fact, they are…

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City of Redding Announces Project to Protect Spawning Fish Species in the Sacramento River

The City of Redding is partnering on a project to construct a new Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Trout spawning habitat…

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Scientists Stunned When Endangered Animal Makes Rare Appearance Near Yosemite

The Sierra Nevada red fox (SNRF) which historically inhabited the upper elevations of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades in California…

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Something Manmade? Possible Coyote-Wolf Hybrid Seen in Northern California

A possible hybrid of a coyote and a wolf, also known as a coywolf, was recently spotted in the Shingle…

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Rare Video: Kayakers Surrounded by Pod of Killers Whales Off the NorCal Coast

Kayakers fishing off the coast of Sonoma County were greeted by a beautiful and somewhat terrifying pod of killer whales…

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California Allocates $100 Million to Protect Salmon from Drought in 2023

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced the availability of over $200 million in new funding for…

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Whaleback Pack Delivers California’s Largest Known Wolf Litter in Over 100 Years

The Whaleback Pack, living in Northern California’s Siskiyou County, delivered a historic litter of pups in 2022. The California Department…

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Poachers Leave Dangerous Elk Carcasses Near Condor Habitat in Northern California

Photo by Will Goldenberg On Saturday, November 12, the Northern California Condor Restoration Program performed x-rays on two elk that…

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Throwback: Bear Casually Opens Door and Strolls into Tahoe CHP Facility

With an increase of bear activity in the Tahoe Basin, we’ve been seeing a lot of videos of bears acting…

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Celebrating 50 Years of ‘Wild Trout Waters’ in California

Hat Creek in Shasta County is forever linked with CDFW’s Heritage and Wild Trout Program as one of the first…

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Expect Heightened Activity from Lake Tahoe Bears as They Seek Food for the Winter

Fall is underway in the Tahoe Basin and Lake Tahoe bears are hungry! Autumn is the time of year when…

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Dungeness Crab Season Delayed for Fourth Year in a Row in California

The recreational take of Dungeness crab using crab traps will be temporarily restricted in California when the season opens on…

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VIDEO: Lassen Pack Seen Running Through Field Full of Cattle in Northern California

California’s first wolf pack to return to the state in over a century, the Lassen Pack, continues to grow in…

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Meet the Underwater Fly that Rules Mono Lake by Living Underwater

Over 100 years ago, writer Mark Twain observed the case of some “incredibly weird” flies in Mono Lake, near Mammoth…

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What the Heck Happened to this Trout Caught on the Sacramento River?

When you’re a fishing guide in Northern California, there are plenty of odd things you might see on the water.…

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How Do Northern California Wildfires Impact Wildlife and Forests?

Written by Meghan Snow Seeing a forest recently burned in a wildfire can be jarring. Green is replaced by shades…

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Caught-on-Camera: Bear Sings in a Tree in Yosemite National Park

Wildlife encounters can be frequent for any visitor to Yosemite National Park, especially during a pandemic that has forced officials…

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Sierra Notes: Four Characteristics of a Thriving Forest and How You Can Help Keep Them Healthy

Written By Cal Robinson When you close your eyes and think of a healthy forest, you may picture one that’s…

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Free Swan Tours Offered Near Marysville this Fall and Winter

Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is offering free swan tours…

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Hiker Goes NUTS Watching Bear Cross Treacherous River in Yosemite National Park

When we visit the wilderness, we’re visiting the home of the vast wildlife that lives there. From birds to deer…

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VIDEO: GIANT Great White Shark Seen off the Coast of Northern California

The waters off the coast of Northern California are known as the Red Triangle, which is home to 40 percent…

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Drought Blocks Kokanee Salmon from Spawning in Tahoe’s Taylor Creek for Second Straight Year

Taylor Creek remains mostly dry after another year of drought One of the most delightful fall activities in the Tahoe…

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Wildlife Officials Begin Experimental System to Bring Salmon Back to the McCloud River

State and federal biologists and engineers, in partnership with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, have begun testing an experimental system in…

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An Oral History of the Cantara Chemical Spill on the Sacramento River

Northern California is no stranger to disasters. Over time we’ve lived through earthquakes, volcanos, firenados, floods, mudslides and avalanches. Would…

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WATCH: Mountain Biker Collides with Bear on Northern California Trail

Mountain biker David Sousa was having a great time riding down the Mills Peak trail in Plumas County when he…

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Watch Deer Viciously Brawl on a Front Porch in Northern California

If you came home to find the front porch of your home a giant mess, you would assume your house…

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Eel River Dam Removal is Moving Forward. It Will Create California’s Longest Free-Flowing River.

In April, PG&E’s 50-year license for the Eel River Dams expired, with the company opting against renewing the costly Potter…

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Tahoe Bear Continues to Terrorize Local 7-Eleven on Viral TikTok Account

Bear sightings in the communities surrounding Lake Tahoe have grown at an astonishing rate in the past few years. Flocking…

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The Spawning of Millions of Salmon Begins at the Feather River Hatchery

The annual process of spawning millions of salmon returned to Oroville this week as the Feather River Fish Hatchery began…

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Grizzly Bears Once Ruled California. Here’s Why They No Longer Roam the State.

Photo by Zden?k Machá?ek Why does the California State Flag feature an extinct animal, the California grizzly bear, a beast so…

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Bear Finds Lost GoPro in the Sierra Backcountry and Hilariously Records Himself Playing with It

The bears of Tahoe have learned how to brilliantly get their hands on human food, and it typically comes with…

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The Bats of the Yolo Causeway Marvel Onlookers with Nightly ‘Batnadoe’

Flickr/Bev Sykes Every summer just west of Sacramento, roughly a quarter of a million migrating Mexican free-tailed bats settle at…

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Video of Tahoe Cubs Playing in a Pond is the Cutest Thing You’ll See Today

The bear populations of Lake Tahoe are something of legend. Seeing a bear in the Tahoe Basin isn’t a rare…

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Northern California Wolf Packs Welcome 11 New Pups in 2022

Photo of the Whaleback Pack in 2011. Photo by Patrick Griffin. Despite massive wildfires destroying large patches of wolf territory…

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Massive Fish Kill on the Klamath River Believed to Be Caused by the McKinney Fire

Officials from the Karuk Tribe were surprised when they found a massive fish kill between Indian Creek and Seiad Creek…

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An Ode to Squirrels: The Badass Rodents Living in Your Backyard

Photo by Simone Mascellari When a buddy asked if I had seen any of the “Squirrel vs. Rattlesnake” videos on YouTube,…

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