Wildlife

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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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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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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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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Chinook Salmon Make Their Return to the McCloud River

From left: Taylor Lipscomb, hatchery manager at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery near Redding;…

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Watch: Man Spots Rattlesnake Swimming Across the American River

It’s summertime in NorCal, which means when we’re out in the wild, it’s important to pay close attention to the…

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Bear Euthanized After Confrontation in North Lake Tahoe Home

After sneaking into a home and having a confrontation with the homeowner, a bear has been captured and euthanized in…

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Woman Attacked by Bear in North Lake Tahoe Home

Photo by Marion hobbs A woman was attacked by a bear in her North Lake Tahoe home on June 16, which…

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200,000 Juvenile Salmon Released into San Francisco Bay in Desperate Attempt to Save Them from Drought

Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife On Sunday evening, officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife transported…

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WATCH: Man Saves Fawn Swimming in the Middle of Folsom Lake

View this post on Instagram A fawn was rescued Sunday afternoon after it was spotted swimming in the middle of…

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California Wildlife Officials Uncover Illegal Rattlesnake Trafficking Operation

Photo: CDFW In case you’re wondering – yes, it’s very illegal to breed and traffic rattlesnakes. That’s why wildlife officials…

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Lake Tahoe To Receive 100,000 Lahontan Cutthroat Trout This Summer

Tahoe’s native fish are making a return this summer. The Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex in Gardnerville, Nev., began stocking…

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Mountain Lion Becomes Trapped in Classroom of Bay Area School

It was just before 8:30 am on Wednesday when a juvenile mountain lion curiously wandered into Pescadero High School in San…

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Raccoon Goes Viral After Getting Stuck in Santa Cruz Roof

Photo: Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter A raccoon went viral this week after getting stuck in a roof in the…

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The King of “Fastest Known Times” Collides with a Deer Going 41-MPH on a Bike in Mount Shasta

Jason Hardrath’s body is used to pain. After all, he did summit 100 peaks faster than anyone ever. He also…

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Heroic Dog Survives Mountain Lion Attack, Returns Home from Vet

The 2 1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois that saved her owner from a mountain lion attack in Northern California is back home…

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Dog Saves Owner From Vicious Mountain Lion Attack Along the Trinity River

Photo: Forest Service Northern Region Erin Wilson and her dog Eva were enjoying a beautiful day at the Whites Bar…

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Watch the Condor Return to its Native Northern California Land After 100 Years

For the first time in 100 years, the endangered condor has returned to Northern California. During a livestream by the…

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Wildlife Officials will Release Chinook Salmon into Clear Creek Instead of Sacramento River this Year

Photo: Coleman National Fish Hatchery The dry winter of 2022 will be felt by humans throughout California this year. Water…

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Watch as Thousands of Seagulls Breed on the Humboldt Coast

It’s seagull breeding season on the Humboldt coast near Trinidad, California, meaning thousands of seagulls are nesting on their eggs…

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Tahoe Family Hears Snoring Noises Under Their Home, Finds a Family of Bears Hibernating

Photo: Bear League A Tahoe family was befuddled by “snoring-like noises” under their home this winter. They couldn’t locate the…

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Randy Robbins’ Image of the Lassen Pack Wins the California Wildlife Photo of the Year, Obviously

When award-winning photographer Randy Robbins shared his stunning image of the Lassen Pack from the remote Northern California wilderness, we called it the…

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WATCH: Falcons Hunt Megaflock of Thousands of Starling Birds in NorCal Sky

Watch the video here When the European starling was brought to the United States in the 1800’s they immediately flourished,…

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It’s Rattlesnake Season in NorCal. Here’s Some Tips on How to Avoid Them.

With the weather heating up in Northern California, hikers are undoubtedly excited to take advantage of the opportunity to visit…

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Bear Hilariously Stops and Poses for a Trail Cam in Northern California Wilderness

Randy Robbins has become well known throughout Northern California for his fantastic trail camera photography of wildlife in the region,…

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Shocking Photos Show Mountain Lions Decapitated by Trains in Northern California

For anyone who’s hiked along railroad tracks, finding animals hit by trains is actually quite common. In even the most…

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Yurok Tribe Brings Condors Back to Northern California for the First Time in Over a Century

Photo: Matt Mais/Yurok Tribe For the first time in 100 years, the endangered California condor will return to Northern California…

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Come Face-to-Face with a Giant Whale with this Northern California Kayak Tour

During the months of March, April and May in Northern California, the coastline is full of thousands of grey whales…

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In the Aftermath of the Caldor Fire, Being Bear Aware in Tahoe is More Important Than Ever

The Lake Tahoe Interagency Bear Team, a partnership between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks, Nevada…

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Famed Redding Eagles Welcome Two Eaglets to their Nest

The famed Redding eagles have welcomed a new hatch into their Turtle Bay nest along the Sacramento River, with two…

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WATCH: Mountain Lion Caught on Camera Wandering Around on Fort Bragg Porch

Wildlife officials say that there is a good chance that at least once in your life, a mountain lion has…

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Video Shows Big Salmon Lying Dead Along the Dried-Up Banks of the Butte Creek

The Chinook salmon of Butte Creek are one of the largest population of spring run salmon left in Northern California.…

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Coming Home – Chronicles of a Trinity River Steelhead

She was late getting back to the Trinity this year, at least later than a lot of the others. They…

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Rare Salmon Spawn in Northern California Waterways for the First Time in Nearly 20 Years

Photo: Salmon Protection and Watershed Network The historic rain and snowfall in December brought a long list of positive milestones…

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This 38-Pound Rainbow Trout Caught on the Feather River Isn’t a Steelhead. Here’s How We Know.

Photo: Josh Giordano Fisherman Josh Giordano made headlines last week when he landed an estimated 38.2-pound rainbow trout on the…

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Suicidal Gobbler? Turkey Flies into a Ukiah Power Line on Thanksgiving Causing Power Outages

As if turkeys didn’t have enough to stress about on Thanksgiving, this year a wild gobbler caused a power outage…

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For the 2nd Year in a Row, Skiing Legend Finds Bear Living Under His Tahoe Hot Tub

As the temperatures continue to drop around the Tahoe Basin, bears are in search for extra calories and warm places…

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