Wolf's Record CA Journey Poses Mystery As GPS Collar Goes Silent

Los Angeles CA

24 May, 2021

1:49 PM

Description

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA — This year, a certain young gray wolf, OR-92, captivated Californians as he traversed farther south across the Golden State than any other tracked wolf in more than a century. But on April 5, his radio collar went dark. His last transmission signaled about two hours north of Los Angeles, in San Luis Obispo County, and the state confirms that his status is still unknown. Up until that day, OR-93 pawed at least 935 air miles across the state — a minimum of 16 air miles per day, according to the California Department of Fish and wildlife. What happened to Or-93? His trackers can't confirm his exact whereabouts, but the good news is that state officials have not picked up a "mortality signal" from the wolf. That particular ping would indicate that he had not moved in at least eight hours, the Los Angeles Times reported. It is also possible that the collar simply broke or its batteries died. State biologists of Oregon and California announced last week that they will fly over his footsteps in a plane that will be able to detect even the slightest signal emitted by OR-93's collar. "OR-93 hasn't pinged since April 5 — and that's been awful tough on us," Jordan Traverso told the Times. Traverso is a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "We're trying to keep hope alive." The wildlife official told the newspaper that OR-93 could have found other wolves in San Luis Obispo county, "and is running with a Central Coast pack that no one knew existed." Biologists also concede that he may have met an unfortunate fate, but some recent utters out of SLO County have cast hope that he's still out there somewhere — and possibly even roaming the Oceano dunes, according to one rumor. The yearling gray wolf was first collared in June 2020 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon. The young male wolf left his pack along the White River, southeast of Mount Hood. "Like many young wolves, he subsequently left his pack in search of a new territory and/or a mate," officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement. Shortly after, he embarked on a 500-mile trek from Oregon to central Fresno County — each step chronicled by his GPS collar. OR-93 traveled from Mono County, through parts of Tuolumne, Mariposa, Merced and Madera counties, the state agency said. By late March, he had entered Fresno County, then moved to San Benito County. Experts believe he crossed two busy highways — Highway 99 and Interstate 5. He was tracked in Monterey on April 1. The last collar reading showed him traveling through San Luis Obispo County on April 5, according to the state. His journey marked the farthest south that any collared wolf has been tracked and a signal that gray wolves may be returning to their native lands in California. Gray wolves are rare in the Golden State these days and they haven't been around much since the 1920s. His appearance in San Luis Obispo County also marked the first time in a century that a gray wolf traipsed around California's Central Coast. Only about 12 gray wolves are roaming in California now of their own accord. Since, 2014, gray wolves have been federally listed as endangered, but effective Jan. 1, these wolves were taken off that list by the Trump administration. In California, gray wolves are still listed as endangered. "It is unlawful to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap or capture gray wolves," according to the state. It remains unclear just why wolves decide to leave California, according to the state agency. "There is no definitive answer," according to the department. "Studies demonstrate that human activity can have a negative impact on wolf populations, particularly where there are roads and agricultural activity." The agency added: "Wolves were likely killed to control predation on other animals. Other factors, including hunting, may have contributed to their extirpation from California." Anyone who believes they have seen a wolf in California can report it to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife here. "Gray wolves pose very little safety risk to humans," the department said. Recently, another gray wolf hit the dusty trail on the heel's of OR-93. The newly tracked male gray wolf, OR-103, was tagged with a GPS collar in Deschutes County, Ore. and entered northeastern Siskiyou County on May 4, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Officials estimate that he was born in 2019 or 2020. READ MORE: California Is Tracking The Journey Of A Newly Collared Gray Wolf