In a decision that has sparked both relief and sorrow across Northern California, state wildlife officials euthanized four gray wolves from the Beyem Seyo pack in Sierra Valley earlier this month, marking the first time in over a century that California has taken such a step against its protected wolf population. The move comes after months of escalating conflict between the wolves and local ranchers, who suffered tens of thousands of dollars in livestock losses and lived in fear as the pack grew increasingly bold in its attacks.
According to The Sacramento Bee, the Beyem Seyo pack—comprising three adults and six juveniles—was responsible for killing 87 cattle between late March and mid-October 2025. This unprecedented spree, which far outpaced the annual livestock depredation by Oregon’s much larger wolf population, left the rural community of Sierra Valley reeling. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) described the pack’s behavior as highly unusual, noting that such a degree of habituation to livestock is rare among wolves, even in states with established populations.
“This decision was not made lightly,” said Charlton H. Bonham, director of the CDFW, in an interview with The Sacramento Bee. “It’s hard, and it weighs on you.” He echoed this sentiment in a statement to NPR, adding, “Despite extensive non-lethal efforts … these wolves continued to prey on livestock.”
The euthanizations, which occurred in October 2025, were carried out after state and federal wildlife officials exhausted every nonlethal tool in their arsenal. Over the summer, a strike team devoted 18,000 hours across 114 days to trying to deter the wolves, employing tactics like firing guns into the air, hanging brightly colored flagging around grazing areas, and patrolling herds with ATVs and trucks. In August, a team of federal wolf specialists even used drones to try to scare the pack away at night. Despite these efforts, the wolves persisted in their attacks, and the situation escalated to what Bonham described as “a tipping point, a point of no return.”
Three adult wolves were tranquilized from helicopters and given lethal injections by biologists on the ground. Tragically, a six-month-old pup was mistakenly killed by a firearm shot from a helicopter, after being misidentified as an adult. The state now plans to relocate three surviving juveniles to a wildlife sanctuary, hoping to prevent them from inheriting the livestock-hunting habits of their elders. Two additional pups from the pack were found dead of natural causes, and as of late October, the remaining juveniles—believed to be about six months old—had not yet been found.
The removal of the Beyem Seyo pack has reignited debate over the future of wolves in California. The state had once celebrated the return of wolves, which were hunted to local extinction by the 1920s. Their comeback began in 2011, when a wolf known as OR7 crossed into California from Oregon. Since then, the population has grown to an estimated 50 to 70 individuals, forming 10 packs across the state. The Beyem Seyo pack, however, became an outlier in its relentless predation on livestock.
For many local ranchers and residents, the news of the wolves’ removal brought a palpable sense of relief. Paul Roen, a Sierra Valley rancher and county supervisor, described a summer spent patrolling his fields late into the night, driven by stress and exhaustion. “It was a huge sigh of relief for the people who’ve been living out on their fields all night, every night, sleeping on the back of their pickups, driving side-by-side around all night,” Roen told The Sacramento Bee. “Everybody got to go to bed on Thursday night.”
Rick Roberti, president of the California Cattlemen’s Association, commended the patience of ranchers, noting, “It was pretty amazing that the ranchers in Sierra Valley restrained themselves and had such patience in such a battle. It was a very difficult time, and I’m glad not one of my neighbors or friends got hurt or did something they would have got in trouble for.”
Yet for many conservationists and environmentalists, the decision was a devastating blow to wolf recovery efforts. Pamela Flick, California director for Defenders of Wildlife, called the removal “a tragedy that could have been avoided.” She argued that earlier, coordinated nonlethal interventions—implemented when the wolves first began attacking cattle in January 2024—might have prevented the pack from becoming so fixated on livestock. “Despite the extraordinary efforts initiated by CDFW in June 2025, it was simply too late in coming,” Flick said. “By then, the Beyem Seyo pack had unfortunately already been habituated to preferentially selecting livestock as prey.”
Amaroq Weiss, a wolf advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, emphasized the precarious status of wolves in California. “Wolves are protected as endangered under both state and federal law because they are still a long way from recovery,” Weiss told The Sacramento Bee. “Killing them can never be a long-term solution.” She and others argue that proactive measures by ranchers, such as improved fencing or the use of guard animals, could help reduce future conflicts between wolves and livestock.
The situation in Sierra Valley is part of a broader pattern seen throughout the American West, where the return of wolves—once extirpated from most of the lower 48 states—has led to both ecological successes and renewed tensions with rural communities. In 2020, the Trump administration removed gray wolves from the federal Endangered Species Act, citing population rebounds in some regions. That decision was reversed in 2022 after environmental groups sued and a judge reinstated protections. California, meanwhile, is beginning a process of re-evaluating its own gray wolf protections, a move that is sure to be contentious. Environmentalists are pushing for stringent safeguards, while many rural residents remain wary of the risks posed by wolves accustomed to living near humans and preying on livestock.
Despite the loss of the Beyem Seyo pack, CDFW Deputy Director Chad Dibble remains optimistic about the species’ future in the state. “By removing this one, we still think that we’re not causing harm to the recovery of wolves, because we’re seeing the success from the other packs,” Dibble said. At least four breeding pairs remain in California, and the other nine packs have shown robust growth.
Still, the events of 2025 have left a lasting impact on Sierra Valley and the statewide conversation about coexistence with wildlife. As Bonham put it, “After you’ve tried just about everything you can do, you will wind up with a hard choice, and that’s what happened.” The hope now is that the lessons learned will inform future efforts to balance the needs of ranchers with the imperative to protect one of California’s most storied and controversial predators.
