A wolf spotted in the Mendocino National Forest in late August has pushed the species into new territory as wolves continue to spread across California.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) received two separate reports of a black wolf during the last week of August near where Mendocino, Glenn and Lake counties meet. At least one detection was in far northern Lake County.
Lake County Supervisor Brad Rasmussen said CDFW’s Gray Wolf Program notified county officials after the agency investigated the reports and confirmed the animal’s presence. “Currently CDFW believes this to be a single, dispersing wolf, which may already have left the county or is traveling large distances,” Rasmussen said in a Facebook post.
The wolf was reportedly spotted around Aug. 25-26 in the Mendocino National Forest, west of Interstate 5 and far from California’s established wolf packs in the northeastern portion of the state, according to The Sacramento Bee.
CDFW Deputy Director of Public Affairs Alicia de la Garza told The Guardian that the agency received photographs of the animal and followed up in the field the next day.
“The 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,” de la Garza said.
CDFW State Gray Wolf Coordinator Axel Hunnicutt told The Sacramento Bee the sighting is the only confirmed detection of the animal west of the Sacramento Valley. Wildlife officials do not know where the wolf originated. It could have traveled south from Oregon or dispersed from one of California’s established packs.
“The fact that there is a wolf over there is a sign that they’re continuing to expand their range,” Hunnicutt said.
Wolf advocates called the sighting significant because it places a confirmed wolf west of I-5 and into an area considered suitable wolf habitat.
“This is incredibly exciting news—the news we in wolf recovery for decades have been waiting for,” Amaroq Weiss, a former senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, told The Sacramento Bee. “For it to get to the west side of I-5, where we know is the best habitat in the state.”
The movement into new territory is also prompting local officials to consider how to prepare livestock producers if wolves remain in the region or additional animals follow.
According to MendoLocal.News, Mendocino County officials discussed the wolf during a Sept. 1 Board of Supervisors meeting. Supervisor Madeline Cline said CDFW had confirmed its presence, while Agricultural Commissioner Angela Godwin said her office was exploring a bi-county wolf task force to prepare for potential livestock predation.
The sighting comes as California’s wolf population continues to spread beyond its established range. CDFW reported 12 recognized packs in its second quarter update, although the Yowlumni Pack in Tulare County has not been detected since early 2026. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
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