Sierra and Plumas County Officials Say Gray Wolves Have Become A Public Safety Hazard
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says there are at least seven packs.
'It's an incredibly inspiring story that wolves, the symbol of the wild, can reclaim the state, their native land,' Peter Tira, spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, says.
However, this enthusiasm isn't shared by all.
The Modoc, Sierra, and Plumas County Board of Supervisors have all declared a local state of emergency due to the confirmed presence of gray wolves in the Northeastern California cattle-grazing mecca region.
Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher says they've reached a tipping point. He has sent a letter to state officials, including the Governor, requesting permission to declare wolves a public safety risk and authorize certain wolves removal.
'One thing that I am not advocating for, nor have any of the sheriffs that I've spoken with, you know, mass killing of wolves,' Sheriff Fisher says. 'It is the ability for the local law enforcement to deal with a specific animal that is causing havoc and to be able to euthanize that particular problem animal, and that is after an investigation is complete.'
Dave Stix is the owner of DS Ranch and tells Fox40 that 30% of his calves did not breed last year, leading to a $300,000 loss.
DS Ranchers moved their cattle back to the Sierra Valley on March 30th, and as of Friday, April 18th, there have been 11 wolf attacks on their calves, two of which were fatal.
'They just started tearing up calves,' Stix says. 'They had all these rips and teeth marks left all over, which I've never seen.'
In the three hours FOX40 spent at DS Ranch, we witnessed a pair of wolves stalking cattle not once, but twice. Sheriff Fisher has since confirmed that 2 calves were attacked on the ranch while we were present, highlighting their lack of fear of humans.
'We've had this place for about 30 years, and we really don't know what to do at this point,' Stix tells FOX40. 'We don't know whether it is a good idea to get out of here and sell [the ranch], or what to do.'
A new study by UC-Davis found that cattle exposed to wolves had an increase in stress, leading to issues with eating, lactating, nursing calves, and pregnancy, which has had devastating repercussions.
'It was anywhere from 1.4-3.6 million dollars in total losses,' UC-Davis researcher Ken Tate says.
With this spring comes the birth of more pups and calves.
'The more predators you have, the more kills you're going to have,' Chad Hermann, Undersheriff of Plumas County, tells FOX40.
Rick Roberti, President of the Plumas-Sierra California Cattle Association, says all Californians should be prepared for the influx of wolves entering their communities.
'Cattlemen are not the bad guys,' Roberti says. 'We just want to be able to protect our private property.'
CDFW's wolf compensation plan has already awarded $3 million to ranchers, but a representative tells FOX40 their hands are otherwise tied.
'Gray wolves in California are listed as an endangered species under both the federal and state endangered species acts,' Tira adds, meaning any form of lethal removal without special authorization is illegal.
The Governor's Office says they second CDFW but would not provide a comment on the matter.
Paul Roen with the Sierra County Board of Supervisors says state agencies are falling short.
'They claim they want to collaborate and cooperate, well, we're getting none of that currently,' Roen, who voted to declare the state of emergency within the county, tells Fox40.
Sheriff Fisher agreed.
'I can also only hope that Sierra County isn't the first county that has a wolf-human wildlife encounter that results in either injury or death,' The Sheriff adds.
FOX40 reached out to several wolf and other endangered species animal rights groups to get their perspective, but they were unable to comment.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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