A gray wolf was confirmed to be roaming California for the first time in 87 years when a young male migrating in search of a mate crossed over the state line from Oregon on Wednesday.
The 2-year-old wolf, known as "OR7", has roamed more than 750 miles, crossing the length of Oregon in search of a new territory to call his own.
On Thursday morning, the wolf's GPS collar reported location data from the previous 24 hours. Wildlife officials said he is now in Siskiyou County, just a few days after he had been near Keno, Ore.
"It might just be sort of a drive-by experience or he could become a resident of Siskiyou County," said Mark Stopher, a special assistant to the director of the California Department of Fish and Game, which is now monitoring the wolf. "He's more like an interesting ghost right at the moment."
State officials don't yet have a plan to manage wolves, but an initial planning document is being prepared and is expected to be released in January.
Regardless, because OR7 is migrating, he is considered endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Disturbing him in any way could be considered a federal crime. As long as OR7 is in California, he will be jointly managed by the Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Stopher warned people not to look for the wolf, or approach it if they see it. But if anyone thinks they saw the wolf, Stopher urged them to report a detailed description of the animal to the Redding regional Fish and Game office.
Wild wolves were exterminated from the West in the early 1900s because they were viewed as a threat to livestock. Biologists now recognize that wolves play an important role in managing deer and elk herds and, in turn, the forests they live in.
The last wild wolf confirmed in California was killed by a trapper in Lassen County in 1924.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-lone-wolf-california.html
