A gray wolf known as OR7 has brought California’s wolf population above zero for the first time since 1924 after migrating from Oregon last week. OR70, a young male, began drifting south from his pack in eastern Oregon three months ago. He had lingered near the California border, becoming a local media sensation, for several weeks before officially crossing into the state around midday on December 28. He is descended from a population of 66 Canadian gray wolves that wildlife officials introduced into Yellowstone National Park in the 1990s. Nationwide, that population now stands at more than 1,000, although several states have recently moved to allow the hunting of gray wolves following a congressional decision in April to remove wolves from the Endangered Species list.
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