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Wild Wolf Documented in Los Angeles County for First Time in a Century

lite News Desk 2 min read

At a glance

  • A gray wolf entered Los Angeles County on February 7, 2026
  • This is the first confirmed wild wolf in the county in over 100 years
  • The wolf, BEY03F, was tracked by GPS collar

A wild gray wolf was recorded in Los Angeles County on February 7, 2026, marking the first such occurrence in at least a century according to state wildlife officials.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that the animal, a 3-year-old female known as BEY03F, reached the mountains north of Santa Clarita around 6 a.m. on that day. The wolf’s movement was monitored through a GPS collar, providing precise location data as she entered the area.

BEY03F was originally collared in May 2025 while she was part of the Yowlumni Pack in Tulare County. Approximately one week before arriving in Los Angeles County, she dispersed from her pack, beginning a journey that would cover several hundred miles.

Her route included multiple crossings of State Route 59 near Tehachapi, and she ultimately traveled more than 370 miles from her birthplace in Plumas County’s Beyem Seyo Pack. This movement was tracked and documented by wildlife authorities using the collar data.

What the numbers show

  • BEY03F is a 3-year-old female gray wolf
  • She traveled over 370 miles to reach Los Angeles County
  • California had nine confirmed wolf packs as of late 2025

Gray wolves had been absent from California for decades after the last documented wild wolf was shot in 1924. The species was considered extirpated in the state by the mid-1920s, and no wild wolves had been recorded in Los Angeles County for at least 100 years.

Wolves began to naturally recolonize California starting in 2011, and several packs have since become established. The Yowlumni Pack, from which BEY03F dispersed, is one of nine confirmed wolf packs in the state as of late 2025, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The arrival of BEY03F in Los Angeles County was confirmed by Axel Hunnicutt, who serves as the gray wolf coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The department used GPS tracking data to verify the animal’s location and movement.

State wildlife officials continue to monitor the presence and movement of gray wolves in California as part of ongoing conservation and research efforts. The documentation of BEY03F’s journey provides new data on wolf dispersal patterns within the state.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.

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