Lassen Pack Female Captured and Recollared, Confirming Five Pups in Pack

The alpha female of the famed Lassen Pack, California’s only known wolfpack, was captured and equipped with a new tracking collar recently by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The officials who completed the task also confirmed the wolfpack has five pups.

The California Wolf Watch confirmed the news of the successful application of a collar on the female, which had to be done to replace the old collar that had lost power. The collar allows for wildlife officials to keep track of the rare California wolfpack as they travel throughout the west coast.

After finishing the collar replacement, the CDFW confirmed that the wolfpack includes five pups, creating a pack with at least 7 wolves.

It was controversial news in August 2019 when a video surfaced of the Lassen Pack confirming their welcoming of three new pups. While wolf supporters and conservationists applauded the news, advocates against the protected wolves feared the growing population could spell trouble for Northern California ranchers. According to four reports of livestock incidents in the area in 2020, only one was confirmed to be at the hands of the wolfpack.

The Lassen Pack, which lives in remote Lassen County, is the descendant of famed OR-7, a wolf that famously traveled from Oregon into Northern California in 2011, becoming the first known wolf in the state in nearly 100 years. The Lassen Pack’s father wolf, known as CA-08M, is the son of OR-7.

The only other known pack in California was the Shasta Pack, which mysteriously disappeared in Siskiyou County recently. There are currently multiple investigations in NorCal pertaining to the suspicious deaths of wolves in the area. In California, wolf killers could face years in prison.

The revival of wolves in Northern California remains a controversial topic in rural communities. The fascinating animals diversify the local ecosystems while creating legitimate arguments between conservation and protecting personal property, particularly of cattle on remote ranches.

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California

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