Surprising Discovery: New Gray Wolf Pack Establishes Territory in California

California wildlife officials have confirmed the presence of a new gray wolf pack in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, marking the farthest south a pack has been detected in the state in over a century. The pack was found in Tulare County, approximately 200 miles south of the nearest-known pack. DNA analysis revealed that the pack consists of at least five female wolves not previously detected in California, including one that is a direct descendant of OR7, the first wolf to cross into the state from Oregon in nearly a century. Gray wolves, once widespread in North America, have been slowly making a comeback in western states, and they remain protected under the Endangered Species Act.