New Wolves, Cougar Cubs Discovered in California
Spring is bringing all sorts of new wildlife to the Golden State. In the past few weeks, both Northern and Southern California have had some exciting animal discoveries, as the state’s gray wolf and mountain lion populations make a comeback.
New Wolves Confirmed in Northern California
On May 24, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that two new groups of gray wolves have been discovered in the counties of Tehama and Lassen. If the wolves are officially designated as “packs,” they would mark the fifth and sixth packs in California since the gray wolf’s eradication a century ago.
“It brings me great joy to see California’s wolves continue to increase in number, aided by the strong state and federal protections here,” said Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Wolves rewild the landscape and that’s good not just for the wolves but for entire ecosystems.”
Cougar Cubs Discovered in Simi Hills
Scientists have also confirmed the birth of three mountain lion cubs, who were recently found nestled in the hills between the Santa Susana and Santa Monica mountains in Ventura County.
The cubs are all adorable, healthy females. They have been named P-113, P-114 and P-115. Their mother, P-77, is believed to be about 5 to 7 years old and has been tracked by biologists since November 2019.
The cubs’ birth follows the demise of California’s most famous cougar, P-22, last year.
“Hopefully, we can follow these kittens as they grow and disperse from their mother,” Jeff Sikich, who leads the park service’s mountain lion study, told the Los Angeles Times. “It’ll be interesting when these kittens grow up and disperse. Will they cross the hills, cross the freeways or to other areas.”
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