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Confirmed: First Wolf Pack Seen in California Since 1924

| Aug 21, 2015 06:45 AM EDT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has photographic evidence of five gray wolf pups and two adults in Northern California.

The first grey wolf pack ever to be seen in California disappeared a while back, almost 100 years ago and now, they are spotted back again in the woods, located in the northern part of the states according to wildlife officials.

This pack also seems to include a wolf that was captured by researchers from the state fish and wildlife department where experts believe that it was travelling alone.

According to the director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Charlton H. Bonham, this is exciting news for California. The department knew that wolves will eventually return to its home state and it seems that now is the right time.

Officials have revealed that there are pups that appear to be just a few months old. With the aid of cameras that are scattered around the most remote areas of Siskiyou County near Mount Shasta, they have documented and taken photos of the pups and adult wolves where researchers now call them the Shasta Pack.

Last May, some nearby cameras were able to produce some images of a large and dark colored animals where scientists believe that it could very well be a grey wolf. In June, a team of researchers that were monitoring deer in the area also found tracks that were most likely made by a wolf or a wild dog where they proceeded by posting more cameras to capture any similar animals. 

The images have revealed that there was an adult wolf lurking nearby where experts first believed that it was alone. Apparently, the team discovered that it was not a wolf that wandered into the forests of California that was named as OR7 by scientists.

OR7 was apparently not been seen lurking in California for more than one year and is the current breeding male in a pack located in Oregon.

Across western United States, these grey wolves were hunted down to almost on the brink of extinction but ever since they were protected under the Endangered Species Act in California by the federal government, the wolves are now beginning to return gradually. 

Officials also say that the last confirmed sighting of the grey wolf was in 1924. This small pack near Mount Shasta like the small wolf population in Oregon, could make a comeback in California.

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