Historic Sighting: Gray Wolf Returns to Sequoia National Park After a Century

A gray wolf that made headlines earlier this year by venturing into Los Angeles County has now reached Sequoia National Park, marking a significant milestone as the first of her kind to return to the area in over 100 years.

This trailblazing female wolf, designated BEY03F, was initially spotted in February on a trail camera near Lancaster. At the time, state wildlife officials noted her presence as a historic moment, potentially being the first gray wolf documented in Southern California in a century.

In a remarkable journey, the young predator, now around three years old, has continued her trek deeper into California’s wilderness, as reported by Secret Los Angeles.

The California Wolf Foundation praised this journey as a testament to “resilience, connectivity, and the future of wolves in our state.”

BEY03F hails from the Beyem Sayo Pack in Northern California’s Plumas County and has traversed hundreds of miles since departing her birthplace.

Her path has taken her through deserts, mountain terrain and dangerous highway crossings.

Gray wolves once roamed across California before eradication campaigns tied to livestock protection wiped them out by the early 1900s.

The last known wild wolf in California was shot in Lassen County in 1924.

Wolves first crossed back into California from Oregon in 2011, and wildlife officials now estimate roughly 60 live in the state, mostly in the remote north.

There are no known wolf packs in Southern California, but BEY03F’s journey has raised hopes that the apex predators could one day reclaim part of the historic range.

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