A gray wolf has recently been seen in California’s Mendocino national forest for the first time since the species returned to the state 15 years ago, state wildlife officials confirmed.
Officials in Lake county, which is about two hours north of San Francisco, said last week the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) had received reports of sightings in the forest in late August. The agency verified the presence of a wolf in the far north end of the county, county supervisor Brad Rasmussen said in a statement on social media.
The CDFW confirmed the sightings in a statement, telling the Guardian it had received two separate reports from an area where Mendocino, Glenn and Lake counties meet. The agency received photos and were on the ground to confirm the presence of the animal the following day, said Alicia de la Garza, the CDFW deputy director of public affairs.
“The sighting was verified by a CDFW wolf biologist who confirmed the validity of the photos, conducted surveys in the area and confirmed wolf tracks where one of the sightings was reported,” de la Garza said.
A century ago hunters and settlers drove wolves in California to extinction, but the animals returned to the state in 2011 and have significantly expanded their presence over the last decade, largely in the rural and remote north-east. There are at least 50 documented wolves in California.
The recent appearance in Lake county represents the only confirmed sighting west of the Sacramento Valley, Axel Hunnicutt, the state gray wolf coordinator for the CDFW, told the Sacramento Bee, and is a sign the species is expanding its range.
“Evidence of wolves in that part of the state is a good thing,” he said.
The return of the animal has not been without controversy. Ranchers have expressed frustration that there is little they can do when wolves kill their livestock – the species is protected in California and under the federal Endangered Species Act. Donald Trump has sought to change that.
Last week the president signed an executive order, titled “Supporting America’s Ranchers”, that directs the interior department to look at removing gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act, and to loosen restrictions for “lethal removal”.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has sought to de-list the gray wolf, but the matter is still unfolding in court. Meanwhile, the act protects the wolves that are across the majority of the lower 48 states under a 2022 federal court order.
Environmental groups condemned Trump’s order.
“Once again, we see this administration attempting to override the checks and balances provided by bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act in order to create industry carveouts and distract from other bad policies that are proving unpopular,” said Leia Barnett, New Mexico conservation lead for WildEarth Guardians.