{"id":320281,"date":"2026-05-17T18:44:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T18:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/320281\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T18:44:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T18:44:22","slug":"california-wolf-population-grew-to-55-in-2025-state-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/320281\/","title":{"rendered":"California wolf population grew to 55 in 2025, state says"},"content":{"rendered":"

California\u2019s wolf population was about 10% higher at the end of 2025<\/a> than the year before, despite the deaths of at least 12 animals, including four that were euthanized after attacking livestock, underscoring the state\u2019s growing difficulties in managing protected predators.<\/p>\n

There were 55 wolves in California by last December, up from 50 the year before, but down significantly from the previous estimate of 60 to 70 wolves in nine packs across the Sierra Nevada and other regions, according to a report released Thursday by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.<\/p>\n

But the number of successful breeding pairs \u2014 defined as mates that produced at least two pups that survived an entire year \u2014 declined from five to three, the report shows.<\/p>\n

Wolves were driven to local extinction in California in the 1920s. But after a wolf known as OR-7 wandered into the state in 2011, the population began to re-establish itself under state and federal protections.<\/p>\n

Last year, a wolf pack dubbed Beyem Seo by the state became unusually habituated to preying on cattle<\/a> in the state\u2019s high rangeland north of Truckee, killing about 100 animals before wildlife officials removed the pack by euthanizing three adults and one juvenile in the first legal killing of wolves in a century, according to previous Bee reporting.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Ken Ken Tate, right, a UC Davis professor studying the impacts of expanding wolf populations on California\u2019s ranchers, and Rick Roberti, president of the California Cattlemen\u2019s Association, walk past a dead calf on the DS Ranches on Monday, May 5, 2025, in Sierra Valley. The calf had been attacked by wolves two weeks earlier. REN\u00c9E C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

The removal of the pack, along with a state correction that it had mistakenly counted 10 packs, reduced the total number of packs to eight.<\/p>\n

Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot called the situation a crisis<\/a>, prompting legislative hearings on how California \u2014 which prides itself on environmental stewardship \u2014 can better manage protected predator populations. In addition to wolves, which cannot be harassed intensively or killed under environmental laws, the state must also find ways to protect people and livestock from protected mountain lions, bears and other species.<\/p>\n

An effort to study the reintroduction of grizzly bears<\/a> is being considered in the state Legislature, and environmental regulators drew controversy last year over whether to extend protections to coyotes.<\/p>\n

Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, welcomed news that the wolf population grew slightly but said she was concerned that the number of breeding pairs declined.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore wolf packs and more new territories are exactly what we\u2019d want for a wolf population that\u2019s beginning to recover, so that\u2019s clearly a good thing,\u201d she said in a news release. \u201cBut I hope 2025 is the only year where we see successful breeding pairs decline.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A A member of the Whaleback wolf pack in Siskiyou County. California\u2019s wolf population increased 10% in 2025 compared to the year before. Axel Hunnicutt California Department of Fish and Wildlife <\/p>\n

It was the deadliest year for California wolves since they recolonized the state. Eight animals died in addition to the four Beyem Seyo wolves killed by wildlife managers, the report said. At least one wolf died during a collaring operation<\/a>, according to previous Bee reporting. The others were killed in vehicle collisions and other incidents, the report said.<\/p>\n

In April, state officials identified three more packs during the first quarter of 2026, potentially bringing the total number of packs to 12. Each of the newly identified packs includes a breeding pair.<\/p>\n

The largest wolf pack is the Whaleback pack in Siskiyou County, home to the Klamath National Forest. It had seven members at the end of 2025, including a breeding pair. Nine wolves are classified as dispersers, meaning they are not part of a pack.<\/p>\n

Across California, wolves are believed to have killed about 200 cattle and sheep in 2025, the report said.<\/p>\n

The state investigated about 250 suspected attacks during the year, up sharply from 74 investigations in 2024.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Corey Schmidt<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Corey Schmidt is a watchdog reporter for the Sacramento Bee, focusing on Folsom, El Dorado Hills and Sacramento County\u2019s eastern suburbs. Previously, he was the government watchdog reporter for the St. Cloud Times in Minnesota. Schmidt received his bachelor\u2019s degree from DePaul University in Chicago and his master\u2019s degree from Yale University.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Sharon Bernstein<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Sharon Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She has reported and edited for news organizations across California, including the Los Angeles Times, Reuters and Cityside Journalism Initiative. She grew up in Dallas and earned her master\u2019s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California\u2019s wolf population was about 10% higher at the end of 2025 than the year before, despite the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320282,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-320281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}