Recent investigations by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have documented a concerning pattern of livestock predation by the Whaleback wolf pack in Eastern Siskiyou County. In late November 2024 alone, the pack was responsible for four confirmed cattle deaths within a six-day period, highlighting an escalating situation that has affected local ranchers throughout the year.
The recent series of attacks began on November 23rd, when investigators found a deceased calf on private property. The presence of OR85, a GPS-collared wolf, was confirmed at the carcass site along with tracks and scat, providing definitive evidence of wolf involvement. The following day, another calf was found dead in the same general area, with similar evidence pointing to wolf predation.
The pattern continued on November 27th, when OR85’s GPS collar revealed a cluster of activity points that led investigators to a third calf carcass. The most recent incident occurred on November 28th, when ranchers discovered an injured calf that had to be euthanized due to the severity of its wounds. In each case, investigators found characteristic bite marks and hemorrhaging consistent with wolf attacks.
These November incidents add to what has become a significant impact on local livestock operations, with the Whaleback pack being implicated in more than two dozen confirmed predation events on private lands throughout 2024. The pack’s persistent presence in the area and recurring predation on livestock represents one of the more challenging wildlife management situations in Northern California’s recovering wolf population.
The involvement of OR85, whose GPS collar has helped document the pack’s movements, provides valuable data for wildlife managers but also underscores the pack’s established presence in the region. This series of events raises important questions about the balance between wolf conservation and protecting agricultural interests, particularly as wolves continue to reestablish themselves in California.
Local rancher David Archibald expressed his concerns in a recent Facebook post: “Two dozen is way to many….there training the youth in the pack…. Now we have a big pack thats a serious issue….” His comments reflect growing apprehension about the pack’s expanding size and the potential for continued livestock losses.
For ranchers in Eastern Siskiyou County, these recent attacks represent not just individual losses but part of a larger pattern that has affected their operations throughout the year. With all confirmed predations occurring on private property, the situation highlights the complex challenges of managing wolf-livestock conflicts in areas where agricultural lands overlap with wolf territory.
A groundbreaking study published in Global Ecology and Conservation this month demonstrates that drones could be an effective non-lethal tool for preventing wolf predation on livestock. The 2022 study, conducted…
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