Thought to be endangered and not seen in California in 90 years, gray wolf sightings have been happening this year with some frequency via remote, motion-activated, wildlife trail cameras. Only up until now, and as recently as a few weeks ago, it was thought that there was just one lone gray wolf that may have wandered down from Oregon who kept getting picked up on video. But no! As the SF Chronicle reports, via a release from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, a camera has now picked up ultra-rare images of a whole pack of gray wolves, including five adorable pups!
Though the image below only shows one adult, the report indicates that there was a whole group of adults seen including the pair that bred the five pups.
This marks the first definitive sign of a comeback for the wolves, who were killed or driven out of the state by humans back in 1924, and have recently only been detected in Oregon and further north, where their numbers are estimated to be between 60,000 and 65,000.
This pack, dubbed the Shasta Pack, does not include any of the wolves who've previously been tagged with wildlife tracking devices by the state of Oregon.
For more info on the wolves, check out this FAQ. In general, they are scared of humans and sighting one is a rarity. However ranchers are wary of the wolves returning to California because they could pose a threat to livestock.