Wildlife Officials Abandon Search for Juvenile Wolves After Historic Euthanization

California wildlife officials have scaled back their efforts to locate three young gray wolves believed to be the last remaining members of the Beyem Seyo pack in Sierra Valley, north of Truckee.

The decision comes months after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife euthanized three adult wolves and one juvenile from the pack in October, marking the first time in more than a century that the state sanctioned the killing of protected wolves. The action followed repeated livestock attacks in Sierra Valley, where the pack was linked to the deaths of roughly 90 calves over a six-month period despite extensive nonlethal deterrence efforts.

State officials had planned to capture the remaining juveniles—now about a year old—and relocate them to a sanctuary. However, weeks of searching using ground crews, aircraft, and monitoring equipment have produced no confirmed sightings since Oct. 30. With no evidence of their current location or survival, active search operations have largely wound down, though trail cameras will continue to be monitored.

Wolves were hunted to local extinction in California by the 1920s, and their gradual return over the past decade has been celebrated by conservationists. At the same time, their presence has created growing tensions in rural communities where cattle graze on open rangeland.

While wolves are still believed to be in the Sierra Valley area, it remains unclear whether the animals recently detected howling near roadways are the missing juveniles or members of another pack.