A gray wolf has recently been seen in California\u2019s Mendocino national forest for the first time since the species returned to the state 15 years ago, state wildlife officials confirmed.<\/p>\n
Officials in Lake county, which is about two hours north of San Francisco, said last week the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) had received reports of sightings in the forest in late August. The agency verified the presence of a wolf in the far north end of the county, county supervisor Brad Rasmussen said in a statement<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n The CDFW confirmed the sightings in a statement, telling the Guardian it had received two separate reports from an area where Mendocino, Glenn and Lake counties meet. The agency received photos and were on the ground to confirm the presence of the animal the following day, said Alicia de la Garza, the CDFW deputy director of public affairs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sighting was verified by a CDFW wolf biologist who confirmed the validity of the photos, conducted surveys in the area and confirmed wolf tracks where one of the sightings was reported,\u201d de la Garza said.<\/p>\n A century ago hunters and settlers drove wolves in California to extinction, but the animals returned to the state in 2011 and have significantly expanded<\/a> their presence over the last decade, largely in the rural and remote north-east. There are at least 50 documented wolves in California.<\/p>\n The recent appearance in the Mendocino national forest, which was first reported by MendoLocal.News<\/a> last week, is significant.<\/p>\n It represents the only confirmed sighting west of the Sacramento Valley, Axel Hunnicutt, the state gray wolf coordinator for the CDFW, told the Sacramento Bee<\/a>, and is a sign the species is expanding its range.<\/p>\n \u201cEvidence of wolves in that part of the state is a good thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The return of the animal has not been without controversy. Ranchers have expressed frustration that there is little they can do when wolves kill their livestock \u2013 the species is protected in California and under the federal Endangered Species Act. Donald Trump has sought to change that.<\/p>\n