Researchers Becoming Hungry Like the Wolves

Researchers at the University of California-Davis are hungry like the wolf after seeing how many losses cattle ranchers are incurring because of the state’s protected gray wolf population.

Spoiler alert: Losses are in the millions of dollars.

Background: The gray wolf was thought to be extinct in California until it crossed over the Oregon state line in 2011. By the end of 2024, seven wolf packs were documented in four other locations, and a pack was seen in Siskiyou County in 2025. Most of these are in northeastern California, with one in the southern Sierra Nevada.

Chump change: California offered a $3M compensation fund for livestock losses from wolves, but it’s already running out.

Between June and October in 2022, 2023, and 2024, UC Davis researchers studied wolf and cattle interactions and found that “total indirect losses” to ranchers were between $1.4M and $3.4M. Nearly three-fourths of wolf scat samples from 2022 and 2023 contained cattle DNA. Meanwhile cattle hair samples had elevated levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.

Methodology: In addition to collecting scat samples, researchers used motion-activated game cameras in remote rangelands. With permission from ranchers, they also installed GPS collars on cattle. UC Davis professor Ken Tate said it took nearly 30 years of network building to get access to land and cattle for the study.

Cryin’ with the wolves: One wolf can cause anywhere between $69K and $162K in direct and indirect losses, including lower pregnancy rates in cows and decreased weight gain in calves.

Soundbite: “It is clear the scale of the conflict between wolves and cattle is substantial, expanding, and costly to ranchers in terms of animal welfare, animal performance, and ranch profitability. This is not surprising given that the cattle appear to be a major component of wolf diet, and the calories drive their conservation success.” — UC Davis professor Tina Saitone

Where this goes: While researchers say coexistence is the eventual goal, they’re not sure what it will look like because today’s status quo clearly isn’t working. They hope their research helps advance the conversation.