For the first time in at least a century, a gray wolf has been found in Los Angeles County. Its arrival is a milestone in the return of the long-embattled predator.
The wolf, a three-year-old female named BEY03F, was tagged with a GPS collar last spring while roaming the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Los Angeles Times reports. She recently headed south, crossing the Mojave Desert, before moving into the San Gabriel Mountains at the northern edge of Los Angeles County early Saturday morning, her collar revealed.
“This signifies a historic moment in the return of wolves for California,” John Marchwick, of California Wolf Watch, told the Times.
Wolves were extirpated from California in the 1920s, wiped out by hunters and trappers. Over the last decade and a half, wolves have been making a comeback, aided by protections under the state Endangered Species Act. Today, there are believed to be at least 70 wolves in California.
BEY03F is believed to be seeking a partner, “and the fact that she is still on the move is an indication that she has not found a mate,” according to Axel Hunnicutt of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While there are no known wolves in the San Gabriel Mountains, officials say that BEY03F may find an as-yet undiscovered male mate and form a pack.
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