California has three wolf packs! According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there are three active wolf packs in the state: Lassen, Beckwourth, and Whaleback. There are also seven collared wolves that are being tracked in California.
The Lassen Pack, which roams in the Lassen and Plumas counties, has produced four litters over the years, resulting in at least 22 pups. The original male of the pack was the offspring of the Rogue Pack, from southwest Oregon. He has not been seen since siring litters in 2017-2019. A black adult male began traveling with the group in 2019, and he sired the pack’s 2020 litters. His origins are unknown at this time.
The Whaleback Pack occupies eastern Siskiyou County. The pack consists of a collared male, OR-85, and an uncollared female whose origins are unknown. GPS tracking indicates that the pair denned during the spring of 2021. The Beckwourth Pack was sighted in May 2021 in southern Plumas County. There appeared to be three wolves in the pack, one of which is LAS12F, a female from the Lassen Pack’s 2019 litter. The other two wolves’ origins are unknown.
