A new wolf pack moves in after another was euthanized

A group consisting of at least two adults and a pup is confirmed in Plumas County. State officials say the population of the endangered predators is growing.

- LILA SEIDMAN

California Department of Fish and Wildlife AN ADULT and three pups from a different pack, in Lassen County, seen in 2019.

California wildlife officials have confirmed there's a new wolf pack in the northern part of the state, as the population of the endangered canids and the number of livestock they have preyed on - continues to rise.

The freshly minted Grizzly pack is roaming southern Plumas County and consists of at least two adults and a pup, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported.

The pack consists of a male wolf that came over from Oregon and a female from the state's Lassen pack. Recently, state wildlife officials also got photos of a wolf pup believed to be theirs.

The news comes on the heels of the Beyem Seyo pack's demise this year when the Fish and Wildlife Department euthanized four wolves that had killed a large number of cattle in the Sierra Valley-marking the first time in about a century that state officials had taken lethal action against the animals.

"As difficult of a decision as that was to make, from a conservation point of view, the population data that we're getting does continue to suggest that the population is growing and is robust," said Axel Hunnicutt, gray wolf coordinator for the agency.