Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed the first wolf depredation on livestock in Grand County since the reintroduction of gray wolves in December. A dead calf with wounds consistent with wolf depredation was found, and the livestock producer is eligible for fair market value compensation. The state's wolf restoration and management plan outlines protocols for investigating and compensating for wolf depredation, as well as providing non-lethal deterrents for livestock owners. CPW will continue reintroducing wolves over the next few years and monitoring the population's self-sustainability, while also addressing human-wolf conflicts through a dedicated wolf conflict coordinator and supply houses for prevention materials.
A hunter in Calhoun County, Michigan, killed a gray wolf in January, marking the first confirmed sighting of a wolf in the southern Lower Peninsula in over 100 years. The state's only known wolf population is in the Upper Peninsula, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources stated that there is no evidence of an established wolf population in southern Michigan. The presence of wolves in the state has sparked controversy, with some advocating for hunting and others seeking to protect the endangered species. The DNR is investigating the origin of the wolf and has found indications of wolves in the northern Lower Peninsula in recent years.
A rare gray wolf was found and killed by a coyote hunter in southern Michigan's Calhoun County, marking the first confirmed presence of a gray wolf in the area since the early 20th century. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is investigating the incident and has emphasized that there is no broader wolf presence in the county or the Lower Peninsula. Wolves in Michigan are currently an endangered species, and hunting them is prohibited while they are on the endangered species list.
A gray wolf was found and killed in Michigan's southern Lower Peninsula during a January coyote hunt, prompting an investigation by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as the known wolf population is located in the Upper Peninsula. Gray wolves are federally endangered in Michigan and can only be killed if posing a direct threat to human life. The DNR does not believe the wolf was part of an established population in the southern Lower Peninsula and is conducting genetic testing to learn more about its origin. Despite occasional signs of wolves in the Lower Peninsula, the DNR has found only a few since the wolf population was re-established in the 1980s.
California wildlife officials have confirmed the presence of a new gray wolf pack in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, marking the farthest south a pack has been detected in the state in over a century. The pack was found in Tulare County, approximately 200 miles south of the nearest-known pack. DNA analysis revealed that the pack consists of at least five female wolves not previously detected in California, including one that is a direct descendant of OR7, the first wolf to cross into the state from Oregon in nearly a century. Gray wolves, once widespread in North America, have been slowly making a comeback in western states, and they remain protected under the Endangered Species Act.
A fossilized jaw bone found in a Canadian museum collection has been formally identified as belonging to a dire wolf, a larger, extinct cousin of the gray wolf with more powerful jaws. The fossil, found in 1969, is the first and only dire wolf found in Canada and the northernmost known occurrence of the species by 500 km. The identification was made difficult due to the poor preservation of the fossil, but multiple measurements and comparisons with known dire wolf fossils confirmed the initial identification. The study adds to the known range of territories the dire wolf inhabited and suggests faunal migrations around the timeframe of the Canadian dire wolf.
