REDDING, Calif. – A new UC Davis study shows gray wolves in northeastern California are eating more cattle than any other food source.<\/p>\n
UC Davis researchers found wolves from the Lassen and Harvey packs were primarily eating cattle. They collected scat samples during the summer months of 2022 and 2023 and found 72% of wolf scat contained cattle DNA.<\/p>\n
Cattle was present in 86% of samples in 2022 and 55% in 2023. The study also examined how wolves are impacting cattle beyond predation.<\/p>\n
Researchers measured cortisol levels in tail hair. Cattle herds living among wolves had cortisol levels 58% higher than those in control herds.<\/p>\n
Sen. Megan Dahle posted on social media about the study. “There is a lot of romantic talk about how wolves will restore natural ecosystems. Maybe so. But what the wolves in California are mainly doing is eating family ranchers’ valuable animals,” Dahle said.<\/p>\n
“And both the state and federal governments both are strictly protecting the wolves under the Endangered Species Act while they do it,” Dahle said. “This is insanity, and North State ranchers are bearing the weight of it.”<\/p>\n