Latest news with #CaliforniaDepartmentofFishandWildlife
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Letters to the Editor: California's wolves present a complicated problem for ranchers and plenty of opinions
To the editor: The call by California ranchers to kill endangered wolves in response to livestock losses is concerning and counterproductive ('Killing wolves remains a crime in California. But a rebellion is brewing,' May 30). Lethal measures undermine years of conservation progress made for a species still in recovery. Wolves play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. The resurgence of wolves in California signifies a positive step toward ecological balance after their near eradication. Protections under the California Endangered Species Act are in place to ensure the species' continued recovery and to promote coexistence strategies. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program, which not only compensates for direct losses but also supports nonlethal deterrent measures, should be expanded and at least partly funded by those that profit off our public lands, such as the Cattlemen's Assn. and corporations such as Tyson, JBS and Cargill. Other Western states allow killing wolves indiscriminately. California must set the example where nature is the priority, not industries that disproportionately contribute to climate change and degrade ecosystems. Judie Mancuso, Laguna BeachThis writer is founder and president of animal advocacy nonprofit Social Compassion in Legislation. .. To the editor: I am an environmentally concerned citizen, but it just seems the aggressive wolves in Northern California need to have their fear of human beings restored. Common sense tells me that the ranchers should be allowed to clip a few here and there. Mike Sovich, Glendale .. To the editor: This article made me wonder why cattlemen don't put several donkeys into their herd of cattle. Donkeys can bond with the cattle, and they are smart and capable of helping keep wolves from attacking them. It would be a natural way to reduce or eliminate the threat. Deborah Sheflin, Norco .. To the editor: The most prolific cattle killers are not the wolves, as the article states, but the barbaric industry that slaughters tens of millions of these gentle beings annually just so we can buy cheap burgers. When a wolf pack kills what is now easy prey, it's so an endangered species can survive. If we hadn't decimated the habitat that supported a healthy wildlife population, then this conflict wouldn't exist. Tim Viselli, La Cañada Flintridge .. To the editor: Wolves, a native species, roamed these lands for hundreds of thousands of years and are returning after a brief human-caused interruption. Ranchers raise cattle, a nonnative species, on public lands under inexpensive grazing permits subsidized by taxpayers. Even with wolves, the ranchers have a great deal. Thomas Bliss, Los Angeles This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
10 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: California's wolves present a complicated problem for ranchers and plenty of opinions
To the editor: The call by California ranchers to kill endangered wolves in response to livestock losses is concerning and counterproductive ('Killing wolves remains a crime in California. But a rebellion is brewing,' May 30). Lethal measures undermine years of conservation progress made for a species still in recovery. Wolves play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. The resurgence of wolves in California signifies a positive step toward ecological balance after their near eradication. Protections under the California Endangered Species Act are in place to ensure the species' continued recovery and to promote coexistence strategies. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program, which not only compensates for direct losses but also supports nonlethal deterrent measures, should be expanded and at least partly funded by those that profit off our public lands, such as the Cattlemen's Assn. and corporations such as Tyson, JBS and Cargill. Other Western states allow killing wolves indiscriminately. California must set the example where nature is the priority, not industries that disproportionately contribute to climate change and degrade ecosystems. Judie Mancuso, Laguna BeachThis writer is founder and president of animal advocacy nonprofit Social Compassion in Legislation. .. To the editor: I am an environmentally concerned citizen, but it just seems the aggressive wolves in Northern California need to have their fear of human beings restored. Common sense tells me that the ranchers should be allowed to clip a few here and there. Mike Sovich, Glendale .. To the editor: This article made me wonder why cattlemen don't put several donkeys into their herd of cattle. Donkeys can bond with the cattle, and they are smart and capable of helping keep wolves from attacking them. It would be a natural way to reduce or eliminate the threat. Deborah Sheflin, Norco .. To the editor: The most prolific cattle killers are not the wolves, as the article states, but the barbaric industry that slaughters tens of millions of these gentle beings annually just so we can buy cheap burgers. When a wolf pack kills what is now easy prey, it's so an endangered species can survive. If we hadn't decimated the habitat that supported a healthy wildlife population, then this conflict wouldn't exist. Tim Viselli, La Cañada Flintridge .. To the editor: Wolves, a native species, roamed these lands for hundreds of thousands of years and are returning after a brief human-caused interruption. Ranchers raise cattle, a nonnative species, on public lands under inexpensive grazing permits subsidized by taxpayers. Even with wolves, the ranchers have a great deal. Thomas Bliss, Los Angeles
Epoch Times
a day ago
- Science
- Epoch Times
California Launches Wolf Mapping System in Wake of Attacks on Cattle
California ranchers say an online map that shows the approximate locations of GPS-collared wolves is a step in the right direction but lacks real-time tracking and accuracy to be truly effective. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Three more wolf packs confirmed in California as ranchers call for relief
It was bright and early and Axel Hunnicutt was howling. He was looking for wolves. Sometimes they howl back, providing a sense of their location. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife this week reported there were three new wolf packs in the state's far north. Hunnicutt, gray wolf coordinator for the agency, was trying to track down one of them — the freshly minted Ashpan pack that consists of at least two wolves roaming eastern Shasta County. There's also the Ishi pack in eastern Tehama County and the Tunnison pack in central Lassen County. Some experts say there could now be more than 70 wolves living in California. 'I don't want to boast, but I think my howl is pretty good,' Hunnicutt said by phone while heading to the town of Burney, north of Lassen Volcanic National Park. He was taking a break from a day of searching that began at 5 a.m. in an effort to add to the limited information state wildlife officials know about the packs. The goal is to capture and outfit one of the wolves with a GPS collar. That would allow them to share information about the animal's whereabouts with owners of livestock that could become a meal for the apex predators. And it would make it easier to track them down again and collar more wolves if necessary. The trio of new packs brings the state total to 10, marking a continued resurgence for the canids protected under state and federal endangered species laws. There were seven packs by the end of last year and just one at this time five years ago. All of the latest packs were confirmed by what Hunnicutt described as 'persistence' — documenting at least two wolves together at least four times in an area over six months. At least three wolves comprise the Ishi pack; it's not clear if one is the offspring of the other two. It's welcome news for conservationists, who want to see the state's native animals thrive. Many ranchers, however, see the rise of wolves as a threat to their livelihood. California's wolves were killed off by humans about a century ago, and they only began to recolonize the state about 14 years ago. In recent years, the population has started to take off. There were about 50 by the end of last year, wildlife officials said. The population fluctuates throughout the year as pups are born and die off, and it's likely higher at the moment. As the number of wolves increases, so does the number of cattle they attack. Between January and March of this year, 26 instances of livestock depredation were being investigated with wolves confirmed as the culprit in 16 of them, according to state data. Kirk Wilbur, vice president of government affairs for the California Cattlemen's Assn., a trade association representing ranchers and beef producers, said wolves in at least two of the new packs are known to have preyed on livestock. 'There's been a real emotional impact, a real fear impact, in the north state,' Wilbur said. 'Folks who perhaps have never had a wolf depredation on their herd are nevertheless fearful of the possibility, and the folks who have suffered repeat depredations from wolves, this gets really stressful and taxing and depressing for those producers.' This month, Shasta County joined four other Northern California counties in declaring states of emergency due to wolves. The county's Board of Supervisors also penned a letter to the state wildlife department calling for 'immediate assistance and regulatory changes to better equip counties to address this growing concern,' according to a news release. The state has taken steps to address ranchers' concerns. About two weeks ago, the state wildlife department announced the release of an online map that shows the approximate location of GPS-collard wolves. Anyone can check it out, but it's geared toward cluing in ranchers in an effort to prevent wolf-livestock conflict. California wildlife officials plan to complete a status review of the wolf population and are exploring the possibility of allowing harsher methods to haze the animals, including firing nonlethal ammunition at them. The state agency also offers reimbursement to ranchers for livestock killed by wolves. At one point, the state also provided money to cover nonlethal tools and indirect losses, but Hunnicutt said the program no longer has enough funding to do so. Wilbur said the new packs underscore a long-held belief by his group that gray wolves don't need to be on California's endangered species list, where they were added in 2014. Some ranchers want to be able to shoot the broad-muzzled canids, something their protected status precludes. Hunnicutt said it's not so cut and dried. 'With wolves, if allowed the protections that they have, they do really well, and they recover quickly,' he said. 'On the flip side, it would not take very much to completely topple these 10 packs.' He pointed out that the hundreds of thousands — and potentially millions — of wolves were eradicated from the Western U.S. within decades. Roughly 50 animals is generally not considered a 'viable population,' according to Hunnicutt. If the population reaches about 150, he said protections could probably be relaxed. Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group, sees the wolves' growth rate as typical. She said the state's 2016 wolf conservation plan identified about 23,000 square miles of suitable wolf habitat just in the region north of Interstate 80. The same plan estimated that that area could support roughly 370 to 500 wolves. Weiss said misunderstanding and misinformation is fueling backlash against the animals. 'Decades of research shows that conflicts between livestock, wolves and people are rare and preventable,' she said in a statement. 'These magnificent animals have immense value because they help keep nature wild and healthy, and that ultimately benefits humans as well.' Back in Shasta County, Hunnicutt was hot on the trail of the Ashpan pack. He picked up tracks, which led him to a fresh poop. He scooped it up. 'It's like, ah! I'm gonna figure out who it is,' he said. He believes the two wolves in the pack might be denning; it's currently the season. That means they bred and the female gave birth in a den, which could be a hollowed-out log or other safe haven. When wolves are denning, they're anchored to one spot — the den — upping the chances of finding them. It essentially entails trying to locate one square mile of activity in a 1,000-square-mile search area, Hunnicutt said. 'It's hard, but I love it,' he said. After lunch in Burney, he'd go back to scouting.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
California officials confirm three new wolf packs in Northern California
( — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said it confirmed three new packs of gray wolves in Northern California in the first quarter of 2025. The Ashpan pack is located in eastern Shasta County and is made up of at least two wolves, the CDFW said. In eastern Tehama County, the Ishi pack has at least three members. The Tunnison pack in central Lassen County is made up of at least two wolves. CDFW said one of the Tunnison pack wolves, LAS32F, has a collar but it no longer functions. The agency said it investigated 33 reported livestock attacks in March, April, and the beginning of May. CDFW confirmed 18 were committed by wolves. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
