State Wildlife Officials Investigate Alleged Wolf Sightings Near Lake Tahoe

State wildlife authorities are currently investigating a series of reported wolf sightings in the mountainous regions south of Lake Tahoe. According to Peter Tira, an information officer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, several reports of wolf activity have emerged from Alpine and El Dorado counties in recent months.

Last week, the department received specific accounts of four potential wolves being observed in Hope Valley, located within Alpine County. Despite these reports, officials have not yet confirmed the presence of wolves. “There are a lot of rumors flying but the bottom line is, we’ve gone out and investigated all of them and so far we haven’t been able to confirm any of them,” Tira stated.

Tira noted that what are thought to be wolves can often turn out to be coyotes. To aid in the investigation, the department has placed several trail cameras in Hope Valley to monitor wildlife activity closely.

Gray wolves, originally native to California, were eradicated from the state approximately a century ago. However, there has been a resurgence in their population, with seven known wolf packs currently active. These packs are mainly located in the northern mountainous regions of Lassen, Shasta, Siskiyou, and Plumas counties, as well as closer to North Tahoe in Sierra and Nevada counties.

“Wolves like to disperse and form new packs,” Tira explained, indicating the possibility of wolves moving into the mountains south of Tahoe. He added, “You never say never because we have more wolves on the ground in California today than we ever have, and they like to move around.”

Residents who believe they have spotted a wolf are encouraged to report their observations to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to aid ongoing investigations.