Oregon wolf's epic journey may lead to California

A lone Oregon wolf in search of a mate and new territory is gaining notoriety for an epic journey that experts believe may continue into California. If that happens the wily predator will become the first confirmed wild wolf in the Golden State in nearly 90 years.

The 2 1/2-year-old male gray wolf, labeled by Oregon wildlife officials simply as OR7, has traveled a remarkable 730 miles since dispersing from the Imnaha pack in northeastern Oregon in September.

Biologists have not physically spotted OR7, and there have been no verified sightings of the animal since he began his marathon quest. But a GPS tracking unit relays OR7's position daily and he's presently utilizing wilderness northeast of Medford in portions of Klamath and Jackson counties, as close as 30 miles from California. It remains unclear whether he found an un-collared mate early in his travels.

OR7 is one of 24 known wolves in Oregon and the first documented wolf west of the Cascades in more than 60 years.

Though he has avoided towns, or passed through them undetected, he has acquired many fans, including environmental groups and Oregon school kids who are following his progress while participating in an Oregon Wild campaign to invent a more suitable name for OR7.

On its website, Oregon Wild spokesman Sean Stevens stated, "Part of the mystery of this wolf is we don't know what he looks like. Nobody has ever seen him."

But not everybody is a fan. Wolves were eradicated from the West in the early 1900s by trappers, and by ranchers trying to protect their  livestock.

The reintroduction of wolves in the Northern Rockies in 1995 was controversial because of concerns about livestock and possible impacts on elk herds in some areas. But the predators, believed to play an important role in a healthy ecosystem by thinning deer and elk herds of their weakest members, have flourished and spread to six states.

They've been removed from the endangered species list throughout most of their range and sport hunting is now used in some states as a management tool.

But there have been livestock predation issues, including a cow killed last week by the Imnaha pack in Wallowa County. OR4, the pack's alpha male (pictured at right), is the father of OR7.

The pack is responsible for at least 19 livestock losses since spring of 2010. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials planned to kill two members of the pack to reduce the threat, but is under a court-ordered stay.

The question regarding OR7 is whether he will mark the beginning of the return of wolves to California, where the last verified specimen was killed by a trapper in 1924. The California Department of Fish and Game is taking this possibility seriously and is formulating a plan to deal with wolves' eventual return.

"There's a very high probability, in the next few years, that a wolf will enter California," Mark Stopher, of the CDF&G, told the Sacramento Bee. "The wanderings of OR7 bring the urgency to a higher level. He could be in Yreka [in Northern California] in two days if he wanted to be."

Said Jack Hanson, a cattle rancher near Susanville in Northern California: "We definitely have concerns. I'm hesitant to say I see a clear road and things will go well."

But for now things are going reasonably well for OR7. He has not been shot and if he found a mate early in his travels it could mark the beginning of a new wolf pack in recently uncharted teritory. To be sure, lots of people will be interested to to see how this plays out.

-- Image showing OR4, father of OR7, is courtesy of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Comments

[Scott]

@Jim

Wow, talk about "selective" use of statistics. The deliberate over-hunting of wolves in the Yellowstone area starting in the 1930's thinned the wolf population to such an extent that the elk population expanded relatively unchecked by natural predation. The "20,000" figure you mention (citation please?), would presumably be referring to the resultant over-sized population. Let's ignore for now the illogical "before wolves", unless you're hypothesizing that wolves were somehow introduced to the region subsequent to elk. Please read up on the predictable effects of the over-hunting of the wolves, and the cascading ecosystem effects on both flora and fauna, at http://www.yellowstonepark.com/2011/06/yellowstone-national-park-wolf-reintroduction-is-changing-the-face-of-the-greater-yellowstone-ecosystem/ (and numerous other links, with a little effort).

[Sheldon Carpenter]

While hunting on the Zumwalt Prairie in Eastern Oregon, I believe I came across Wolf OR3. Saw him following Elk a couple of times. The wolf came within 100 yards of me up on a mountain. Something I will never forget. I took some pictures of his tracks.

[drudown]

@Jim

Please prove the evidentiary support to support your unfounded claims, e.g., not just the purported population decimation, but a causal connection to wolf predation. That is just poppycock.

[Jim Matthews]

Interesting story Pete, but I just wish people would quit writing that wolves focus their killing on the weak or injured and help the herds. They kill the young, the old, the healthy, and the weak. They are designed for killing and are good at it. The Yellowstone elk herd numbered over 20,000 before wolves and it's below 4,000 now -- an 80 percent decline. The moose herd around Jackson, Wyo., was around 1,200 before wolves and only 117 were counted in 2010. Biologists said both of those herds and the bulk of their individuals were very healthy, thriving, before wolves. I'm glad the wolves are back and expanding their range, but their impacts are dramatic and significant.

[Kevin from Southern Oregon]

Mark Stoufer is an idiot for making such an ignorant statement