Minimum of Eight New Wolf Pups Confirmed in Lassen Pack Count

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has confirmed a minimum count of eight new pups in the Lassen Pack. This is the fourth consecutive year that the pack has produced pups.

“The announcement of eight new pups, plus at least six adults and juveniles, in the Lassen Pack is another positive step forward for wolf recovery in California," said Pamela Flick, California program director for Defenders of Wildlife. "We’ve come a long way from the first wolf spotted in the state almost a decade ago and the Lassen Pack – now at least 14 members strong – truly represents the future for the species in the Golden State.”

In the summer of 2015, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife shared the news that the state’s first resident wolf family, dubbed the Shasta Pack for the massive dormant volcano near where they were discovered, had settled into eastern Siskiyou County. In summer 2017, CDFW announced the presence of the Lassen Pack, which has had pups each spring since then, and is currently the only known family of wolves in California.

CDFW also announced that two wolves were successfully fitted with radio collars during the past quarter (April-June 2020), including a yearling male dubbed LAS03M and the breeding female LAS01F, who had previously been collared but the batteries subsequently died.

Defenders works with USDA Wildlife Services and CDFW to provide conflict reduction tools to landowners and livestock managers and help deploy them in areas where wolves and livestock overlap, which has been incredibly successful in reducing unwanted encounters.