Doc7505
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- Feb 16, 2016
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California's controversial rare beast that vanished over 100 years ago stages shocking comeback: 'We've been invaded'
![www.dailymail.co.uk](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/09/07/19/89397247-0-image-a-51_1725735006835.jpg)
Rare beast that vanished from CA over 100 years ago stages comeback
The animal was last seen in California in 1924 before they began to slowly return in 2011. Now there are at least 44 in the Golden State, but not everyone is happy about their comeback.
An endangered predator has returned to California after vanishing more than 100 years ago.
At least 44 gray wolves have been spotted in the West Coast state, including a record-breaking 30 new pups this year alone, according to Axel Hunnicutt, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's gray wolf coordinator.
This is the biggest increase in a century, with the animals from seven different packs now in nine of the state's 58 counties, Marin Independent Journal reported.
But not everyone is happy about the return of the the gray wolf and are concerned about the risk to farmers' livestock.
~Snip~
Meanwhile, many conservation groups are excited that gray wolves have become a more common sight in the state.
'It’s a redemption story. It’s a renewal story. It’s inspiring,' the Center for Biological Diversity's Amaroq Weiss told The Journal. 'It has shown that California is wolf country.'
Biologists estimate that California could be home to nearly 500 wolves north of I-80, according to The Journal.
Wyoming allows residents to shoot wolves on sight. In Idaho, hundreds are hunted each year. And in Oregon and Washington, the animal can be shot if it's attacking livestock.
'The growing population brings significant challenges in regards to the people and agricultural landscape that’s currently there,' Hunnicutt told SF Gate. 'I have mixed emotions about it.'
Commentary:
Wolves are what's referred to as a “keystone species”, which is any species that other plants and animals within an ecosystem largely depend on. If a keystone species is removed, the ecosystem would drastically change, and in some cases, collapse.