Animal Returns to Central California for First Time in 100 Years

A species that hasn't been regularly seen in California for at least 100 years is making a return after a widespread wildfire created the prime habitat.

In 2021, the Windy Fire tore through Tulare County in central California, singeing nearly 100,000 acres and leveling dense forests. A lightning strike ignited the fire that torched a region that had already been parched by years of drought. Although the flames dealt a blow to the dense forests, they also cleared the way for grasses—prime grazing for cattle.

The resurgence in cattle has brought another species to the region: gray wolves.

Wolves once thrived in California but were hunted to extinction roughly a century ago. The species has since reclaimed the land, previously sighted in northeastern California, according to a report by The Guardian. The pack of gray wolves feasting on cattle is thriving much further south.

The species' reemergence is cause for celebration for some people who hope to see wildlife return to its previous habitat, but many farmers see the predators as a nuisance and a threat to their herds.

A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that less than 4 percent of cattle deaths were caused by wolves. The study examined the thousands of cattle deaths caused by predators in 2010, which represented 5.5 percent of all cattle deaths and triggered a $98.5 million loss. Wolf-caused deaths were highest in Wisconsin at the time, when wolves accounted for 48 percent of cattle losses by predator. No cases of cattle killed by wolves were documented in California, but that seems to be changing.

As the pack of wolves hunts the cattle in Tulare County, William McDarment, a rancher on the Tule River Reservation, told The Guardian there's little that people living on the reservation can do.

"You can't kill a wolf even if it kills your cattle because wolves are federally protected," he said.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, gray wolves returned to California on their own after vanishing from the state in the 1920s as a result of hunting.

Newsweek reached out to the department via email for comment Monday.

The department's most updated webpage on gray wolves only names three packs in northern California and doesn't mention a pack in Tulare County.

"Some wolves may view livestock or livestock carcasses as an easy food source," the department said on its webpage about the species. "Livestock loss due to wolf depredation are known to occur, though this is not common."

Ranchers can deter wolves by penning their cattle at night, implementing range riders to supervise the cattle or installing fladry, a type of rope with brightly colored flags.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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