For the first time in more than a century, wildlife officials confirmed the presence of a gray wolf in southern California. They are actively monitoring the situation because it wears a GPS tracking collar.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and as reported by the Los Angeles Times, the animal is a 3-year-old female that traveled more than 370 miles from northern California to the mountains north of Santa Clarita, approximately 50 to 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

It is from a pack in Plumas County, just across the state line from Reno and, looking at the bigger, historic picture, is offspring of wolves originally introduced into Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1990s.

"This wolf is the furthest south we have verified a wolf since that introduction 30 years ago. And it's the first time we have verified a wolf in L.A. County in modern times," Axel Hunnicutt, CDFW gray wolf coordinator, told KABC-TV. "I can't tell you the last time there was a wolf in L.A. County, but it likely was well over a hundred years ago."

Hunnicutt believes the wolf is looking for a mate.

According to CDFW, there are nine confirmed wolf packs in California, all in the northern part of the state. CDFW lethally removed four wolves from the Sierra Valley in October 2025 due to continual livestock depredations. Between March 28 and Sept. 10, 2025, wolves killed 70 head of livestock with another 17 confirmed or probable depredations the following month.

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Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.

(Photo credit: California Department of Fish and Wildlife)