Gray Wolf Pack Discovered This Summer, Officially Named
In announcing the new name of the gray wolf pack discovered this summer in the Sierra Nevada, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) also increased the number of wolves in the pack.
CDFW partnered with the Tule River Tribe of California, as the wolves were found on their reservation and ancestral lands, to formally name it the Yowlumni Pack.
“CDFW is thankful for the Tribe’s assistance in naming the Yowlumni Pack and connecting the cultural significance of the pack in the region to its name,” stated state wildlife officials.
The tribe shared that the name Yowlumni comes from the Yowlumni band of the Tule River Yokuts.
“This was described by my mother, Agnes Vera, who was born on the Tule River Indian Reservation in 1926,” said Vernon Vera, a Tule River Tribal Elder. “She was the last fluent speaker of Yowlumni until her passing in 2010. She taught that the Yowlumni were speakers of the ‘Wolf Tongue.’”
The pack was sighted in the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County in July. As reported here at that time, 12 scat and hair samples were collected in the area for genetic testing, with all samples confirmed to be gray wolves. State wildlife officials also spent months trying to collar one or more wolves in the pack. On December 5, they were able to capture and collar an adult female wolf around 7-8 years old and 85 lbs. Based on the results of the DNA analyses and subsequent observations, CDFW learned that the pack consists of a breeding pair and six pups; originally, they had reported only four pups.
The female wolf’s movements will be monitored to collect information about the pack, including the determination of its home range, use of habitat, potential for livestock conflict, and other data, according to CDFW. For more details regarding California’s wolves, including current information about existing packs, wolf biology, conflicts with livestock, and CDFW’s wolf management plan, click here.
