Gray wolf’s unlikely comeback is now a record

After being hunted to extinction a century ago, gray wolves are continuing their remarkable comeback story in California, with state wildlife officials reporting a modern record number of the apex predators.

- By CLARA HARTER

Photo courtesy of MALIA BRYTUS California Wolf Project

A YEARLING from the Whaleback wolf pack is released after collaring in Siskiyou County last year.

There were 55 wolves confirmed alive and nine wolf packs by the end of 2025, the majority of which are clustered in the northeastern portion of the state, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s annual wolf report, released Thursday. That is up from 50 wolves and seven packs the previous year.

“More wolf packs and more new territories are exactly what we’d want for a wolf population that’s beginning to recover,” Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

Though the latest statistics bode well for the rebounding wolf population, the year was not without its challenges for the packs, as well as those who share their habitat.

The number of packs that were deemed breeding pairs — meaning they contained at least one adult male, an adult female and two pups — declined from five in 2024 to three in 2025. This drop was attributed partly to unsuccessful litters in the Lassen and Yowlumni packs, as well as the state’s decision to euthanize four wolves from the Beyem Seyo pack in response to a spike in livestock attacks.