The World’s Loneliest Wolf Is Now the Leader of His Own Pack

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/01/08/lone-wolf-or7-now-leader-his-own-pack

OR7 has found a mate and settled in Oregon after crossing into California, but the growing gray wolf population could provoke a backlash.


Two of OR7’s pups, photographed in Oregon. (Photo: Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)


January 09, 2015 By Todd Woody

Todd Woody is TakePart's senior editor for environment and wildlife.


After an epic journey that made him the world’s most famous, if lonesome, wolf, OR7 is now officially the leader of his own pack.

Wildlife officials this week designated OR7, also known as Journey, as the leader of the Rogue Pack in western Oregon, where the gray wolf settled after crossing back and forth into California from Oregon. In late 2011, OR7 became the first gray wolf in the Golden State since the last of his species was exterminated there in the 1920s.

The Rogue Pack is a small gang, consisting of OR7, his mate, and perhaps three of their offspring. But it signals that wolves are on the rise in Oregon.

Ironically, that could lead to the removal of some protections for the wolves if four breeding pairs produce pups for three consecutive years, according to Michelle Dennehy, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.


OR7 in Oregon. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)


FULL story at link.

[femmocrat]

1. Hope they stay safe. nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. They are such beautiful animals.

They have a nicely structured society with jobs for everyone.

I hope this little pack will thrive and grow, unmolested.

[Oscarmonster13]

3. awesome

Thanks for sharing, so happy to see these beautiful creatures return. Sorry for the ranchers, but I'm one of those "They were here first" types

[Coventina]

10. I'm not sorry for the ranchers. They've been "welfare queens" at our expense long enough.

Not to mention the untold damage their cattle have caused on the open ranges.

Viva Los Lobos!!!!

[SunSeeker]

4. K & R

[NCarolinawoman]

5. Thank you for this update.

Anybody who loves dogs should never want to harm a wolf.

[rhett o rick]

6. k & r. Thanks for posting. nm

[Beringia]

7. Thanks for posting

[Pooka Fey]

8. If he can do it, maybe there's hope for me

[ret5hd]

11. Do you have a long handsome tail? Do you have...

a thick beautiful coat of fur?
Do you have four broad paws?

No?

Then sadly, probably not.

[Omaha Steve]

9. He made the AP: Oregon's wandering wolf, OR-7, gets official pack status

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150108/us-wandering-wolf-bd4a8b83c8.html

Jan 8, 2:14 AM (ET)

By JEFF BARNARD

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Oregon's famous wandering wolf, OR-7, is now officially the leader of his own pack.

State and federal wildlife agencies said Wednesday they have designated OR-7, his mate and their pups the Rogue Pack, for their location in the Rogue River drainage in the Cascades east of Medford.

It's the first pack in western Oregon and the ninth in the state since wolves from Idaho started swimming the Snake River in the 1990s.

As a youngster, OR-7 left his pack in northeastern Oregon in September 2011 in search of a mate. He traveled thousands of miles across Oregon and back and forth into Northern California before finding a mate last winter in the southern Cascades on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

FULL story at link.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

12. k&r

[petronius]

13. Maybe he's got another friend:

New wild wolf sighted north of California border

Another adult gray wolf is roaming territory in Oregon near the California border, joining the famous wolf known as OR7, which has established a pack in the area.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on Tuesday announced the arrival of the latest wolf. It also released a photograph from a remote trail camera. The blurry photo shows an adult gray canine with its head just outside the frame.

John Stephenson, a wolf biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said fresh wolf tracks were also confirmed in the area where the photo was taken.

“The fact it’s been there for three to four weeks suggests it’s a resident in the area, but we don’t know that for sure,” Stephenson said. “It’s possible it’s still on the move.”

--- Snip ---

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article6351192.html

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. Very cool! Thanks for the link, my dear petronius. n/t

[ND-Dem]

15. I have to say, this makes me nervous about hiking.