Gray Wolf Spotted In Sequoia National Park For First In More Than 100 Years

California's wild wolf population grew 10 percent last year, according to wildlife officials.

By Corey Washington, Patch Staff

May 18, 2026 5:27 pm PDT

BAKERSFIELD, CA — A lone gray wolf researchers have been tracking for months has made history after it was tracked entering the Sequoia National Park— the first time its species has been seen in the forest in more than 100 years.

On Sunday, the California Wolf Foundation announced a wolf-tracking system from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife showed the wolf named "BEY03F" entered the eastern part of Sequoia National Park near Mount Pickering.

BEY03F is a female wolf that was born into the Beyem Seyo pack in 2023, which no longer exists after state wildlife officials killed several members of the pack believed to be linked to attacks on livestock. It was the first state-sanctioned killing of wolves in California since their return more than a decade ago.

Researchers have speculated BEY03F could possibly join a pack that already inhabits the adjacent Sequoia National Forest. She is also the first wolf to enter Los Angeles County in more than 100 years after researchers tracked her movements there in February.

"This remarkable journey to the remote backcountry of [Sequoia National Park] highlights the incredible distances wolves can travel as they reclaim parts of their historic range in California. Each step tells a bigger story about resilience, connectivity, and the future of wolves in our state," The California Wolf Foundation posted to Facebook on Sunday.

California has seen its endangered wolf population steadily climb for more than a decade since they started returning to the Golden State from forests in Oregon. The gray wolf species was believed to be completely eradicated in California in the 1920s.

According to CDFW, California's wolf population grew 10 percent last year to 55 wolves, up from 50 wolves in 2024.

However, recent data shows the population of breeding pairs declined, down to five breeding pairs recorded last year.

The growing wolf population has also been attributed to "unprecedented" attacks on California livestock, particularly in the Sierra Valley. Last year, when the attacks prompted wildlife officials to euthanize four gray wolves that were part of BEY03F'S native pack, they killed a breeding pair.

"This decision was not made lightly nor was it easy," Charlton Bonham, director of the CDFW, said in a news release. "The situation with this pack is far outside any comparable experience across the state or the West, making the long-term recovery of gray wolves much harder."

The four euthanized wolves were among 12 killed last year in California; two were struck by cars, three died from unknown causes, and the remaining deaths are still under investigation.

California currently has a total of 10 wolf packs, which have been documented Central and Northern California, including Shasta, Tulare and Kern counties.