Gray wolves have been making a comeback in Northern California — and they could be headed for Butte County.
Right now, there are 10 known wolf packs in the state. Most are in Siskiyou, Plumas, Lassen and Shasta counties, but wolves are also present in Tehama County.
Axel Hunnicutt, the state’s gray wolf coordinator with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), said the agency has received a couple reports of wolves near the Tehama-Butte county line, in the foothills just north of Chico.
“If there aren't wolves there now, we expect that sometime in the future, there will be wolves in those areas."Axel Hunnicutt, CDFW's statewide gray wolf coordinator
“We haven't had enough information to declare that yet, either an area of wolf activity and definitely not a pack yet,” Hunnicutt said.
Still, he says the area has a healthy deer population, making it good potential habitat for wolves. He says it’s only a matter of time.
“If there aren't wolves there now, we expect that sometime in the future, there will be wolves in those areas,” Hunnicutt said.
Even if wolves move into Butte County, encounters with people would likely be rare. They roam more than 500 square miles — nearly half the size of Rhode Island — and even if they settle here, their numbers would likely stay small.
“To potentially run into those two or five or six, or even 16 animals … the chances are relatively low,” Hunnicutt said.
“Sometimes you have cousins that linger, or kids that linger in the nest, or an uncle that sticks around. But generally the pack is made up of just a nuclear family."Axel Hunnicutt, CDFW's statewide gray wolf coordinator
Hunnicutt said it’s normal for wolves to leave their pack to find more food or a partner to form a new pack. The definition of a pack is small — typically a mother, father and their cubs.
“Sometimes you have cousins that linger, or kids that linger in the nest, or an uncle that sticks around. But generally the pack is made up of just a nuclear family,” Hunnicutt said.
Wolves attacking humans is very rare, he said, but noted that if wolves do make it into Butte County residents should stay cautious and keep an eye on pet dogs, which wolves may see as a threat.
Hunnicutt also said CDFW would be concerned about livestock attacks. Wolves have been killing and injuring livestock at increasing rates in the North State, and the agency has been working to prevent these deaths by deploying strike teams. Those teams drive wolves away from ranches using nonlethal tools.
