Wolves are back in California's Sequoia forest

Transcript

00:00 After a century-long absence, gray wolves have returned to California forests.

00:05 Though some experts are thrilled to see their return, some farmers and ranchers worry of the

00:10 threat these wolves pose to their animals. From Tulare County, California, VUAs Robin Guest reports.

00:16 That is the howl and this is the face of one of California's top predators. The endangered gray

00:27 wolves return to California after a hundred years astonishes wildlife biologists. The newest pack is

00:34 in Tulare County in the south where scientists must scramble to place tracking collars on them.

00:41 With collars we have more information. With more information we can make decisions that are good

00:46 for the wolves and right for our people. Scientists estimate 50 gray wolves living in six packs

00:54 call California home. Tracking and tests reveal that rather than being reintroduced to California,

01:01 these animals migrated naturally from hundreds of miles away. DNA links them to the wolves in

01:08 Yellowstone National Park. These are the only two known photos of the elusive new Tulare pack.

01:15 These tracks and this scat are more evidence of the pack numbering six wolves. But after four

01:22 weeks biologists failed to collar one. I don't think failure should always be viewed as a 100%

01:29 negative word. When you fail you often can learn a lot. They call this the land of the giants. It

01:36 is home to ancient giant sequoias like this one. It is also where the Tulare County wolf pack has

01:44 decided to call home. Here they have hundreds of thousands of acres where they can roam, they can

01:51 hunt and they can breed and they can also stay far away from ranchers, livestock and of course

01:58 people. According to state agriculture experts, Tulare County is home to more than 800,000

02:06 livestock and there is concern and some fear among the hundreds of ranchers and farmers.

02:13 Coyote Farms owner Craig Knutson farms and grazes his goats where the Tulare pack now claims its

02:20 territory. The wolves add to his list of predators. I use guardian dogs for my goat herds up here

02:29 because of mountain lions and coyotes and bobcats and things like that and they can handle that.

02:35 They won't handle an adult male wolf. But conservationists like the Wolf Connection

02:42 Sanctuary want these California natives to thrive. To see wolves finally reintegrate themselves back

02:49 into a natural setting, into a natural habitat where there is space for them to grow and to

02:54 flourish. It feels as though everything's coming back into unison with itself. The sanctuary is

03:03 custodian of 38 wolves and hybrids rescued from fur farms, backyard breeders and dupe donors who

03:11 thought they were adopting dogs. They live in packs but unlike their wild relatives, these

03:17 animals are domesticated and the center uses them for therapy programs for at-risk youth and

03:24 veterans through a partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

03:29 Back in Tulare, the Department of Fish and Wildlife is the custodian of wild wolves.

03:36 Collaring and tracking the elusive new pack is a top priority for the well-being of the predators

03:43 and the people. Robin Guess, VOA News, Tulare County, California.