California wolf packs show high rates of inbreeding state officials report

Nearly one quarter of the wolves in California were born to pairs of siblings, the New York Post reported, citing information from the California Wolf Watch organization. The state wildlife group confirmed that multiple packs in Northern California are turning to inbreeding to keep their bloodline going. State officials indicated that they are not overly concerned about the development. [1]

The California Wolf Watch identified the Ashpan Pack as the first confirmed inbred wolf pack in the state in 2026, the New York Post reported. A female gray wolf born in 2024 to the Whaleback Pack, designated as WHA29F or CA124, produced five pups with a black male wolf born in 2021 to the same pack, designated as WHA07M or CA051. The group also identified the Ice Cave Pack as a second confirmed inbred group. [1]

California is located in the Western United States and is bordered to the north by Oregon. It is the third largest American state by land area, covering 163,696 square miles, and contains the Sierra Nevada mountain range alongside diverse coastal and desert regions. [2][3]