Be on the look out for a gray wolf, which has migrated south from Oregon. OR-93 has a radio collar, so scientists can monitor his travel. He was born near Mt. Hood in Oregon, which is in the northern cascades very near the Columbia river. He has walked south through Oregon and into Modoc and Mono counties of northern California. He trekked through parts of Tuolumne, Mariposa, Merced and Madera counties. March 27th, he crossed into San Benito county, then into Monterey county on April first. He entered San Luis Obispo county on Tuesday of this week.
Wolves sometimes travel great lengths to find a mate or pack to settle down with. But this wolf may be looking for a mate in all the wrong places. Gray wolves used to be abundant in California, but settlers killed off most of them. The population is now slowly recovering because of protection by state government.
Scientists say the wolves may create a problem for those with livestock. But they don’t like humans. They should not be approached or fed.
If you encounter a wolf, don’t run, and maintain eye contact. Act aggressively, make noise while retreating slowly. If the wolf does not back off, yell and throw objects, and pray.
Incidentally, the last time a wolf was spotted on the central coast was 1826. That was up in Monterey county. It was called a Lobo, back then. Or whatever the Indian word was for it. This one is called OR-93.
