Conservationists were thrilled when the gray wolf returned to California after the apex predators were hunted to near extinction a century ago.
But it turns out the Golden State’s regrowing wolf packs are not merely content to feed on their traditional prey of elk and deer. Some also have a voracious appetite for cattle.
In response to an “unprecedented” surge in cattle kills across the Sierra Valley — which has been widely bemoaned by the region’s ranchers — officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently euthanized four gray wolves from the Beyem Seyo pack.
From March 28 to Sept. 10, these four wolves were responsible for 70 total livestock losses, representing 63% of wolf-caused livestock losses reported across the state during that time period, according to Fish and Wildlife.
“Wolves are one of the state’s most iconic species and coexistence is our collective future, but that comes with tremendous responsibility and sometimes hard decisions,” department Director Charlton Bonham said in a statement. “The Beyem Seyo pack became so reliant on cattle at an unprecedented level, and we could not break the cycle, which ultimately is not good for the long-term recovery of wolves or for people.”
The targeted wolves included a breeding male and female pair, a solo male and a solo female. During the operation, officials also accidentally killed a fifth wolf — a juvenile male that was mistaken for the breeding male due to its similar color and size.
A January 2022 video of a group of wolves in Northern California. (Courtesy of Patrick Griffin)
The decision to euthanize the wolves followed a months-long effort to combat the surge in Sierra Valley cattle kills through “hazing” methods such as firing guns into the air, using trucks and ATVs to shoo wolves away, shooting non-lethal bean bags and harassing wolves with drone noises.
This summer, Fish and Wildlife staff spent 18,000 hours engaging in 95 hazing operations across 114 days at 18 ranches. Staff also helped facilitate investigations into cattle deaths, which allow ranchers to claim government compensation.
Nevertheless, Beyem Seyo pack members continued to feast on the valley’s ample supply of cows, which are fatty, tasty and relatively easy to catch.
The cattle kill crisis is not only costly to ranchers, who lose several thousand dollars per animal killed, but is also dangerous for the long-term health of the wolves.
Gray wolves naturally prey on deer and elk, but members of the Beyem Seyo pack have become so accustomed to preying on cattle that they are passing the habit onto their young, officials said.
“This shift not only undermines recovery efforts for the species in California but also risks altering generational feeding patterns and broader ecological dynamics,” Fish and Wildlife said in a statement. “Moreover, habituation to livestock inadvertently draws wolves closer to human communities, increasing the potential for conflict despite their natural avoidance of people.”
While some California ranchers have asked to resume wolf hunts — an option that has been granted to their peers in states such as Idaho, Montana and Wyoming — it remains a crime to kill a gray wolf in California.
“I hate ‘em,” Siskiyou County rancher Joel Torres told The Times earlier this year. “They’ve just been tearing into our baby calves, mostly our yearlings.”
While their population is rebounding, wolves remain protected as an endangered species under state and federal law. Lethal removal is permitted only under strict conditions.
A century ago, wolves were almost wiped out in the United States by ranchers who regarded them as deadly enemies.
But in 2011, something extraordinary happened. A sole wolf, known by wildlife officials as OR-7, crossed the Oregon border and helped launch the regeneration of California’s wolf population.
The wolves’ return has been praised by conservationists for its ecosystem balancing effect.
By controlling deer and elk populations, gray wolves allow overgrazed vegetation and trees to regrow, creating ripple effects that boost biodiversity and improve the overall health of the landscape. In Yosemite, their return has been credited with the recovery of willows, aspens and cottonwoods, as well as an increase in beavers, songbirds and fish species.
“Several things can be true simultaneously,” Bonham said in a statement. “Wolves are here in California and that is an amazing ecological return. Yet, their reemergence is a significant, disruptive change for rural communities.”
Times staff writer Jack Dolan contributed to this report.
