Fish and Wildlife has not found evidence of wolves in Lake Tahoe Basin or Hope Valley

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There was excitement back in 2011 when the first wolf sighting in California in almost 90 years was made when "OR-7" crossed into California northeast of Dorris, a small town in Siskiyou County. Even though OR-7 is back in Oregon, there have been several confirmed sightings of wolves in California.

There have been no confirmed wolf sightings in the Lake Tahoe Basin or Hope Valley, though the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CADFW) has received numerous phone calls and messages about wolves in these two areas. After the recent uptick in those saying they spotted wolves in Hope Valley, biologists were dispatched to the area. They installed video and audio recorders since the wolf makes a distinct sound. So far, there has been no evidence of wolves - no tracks, no pictures, no animal kills, no video, and no audio.

CADFW gets year-round reports of wolves, 24/7, according to Peter Tira, CADFW information officer. Tira said the reports that seem credible, they check into.

"In almost all cases it's coyotes or dogs," Tira said of reported wolf sightings.

This time of year the coyotes start to get thicker coats, so many people that see them assume they're wolves. Check out this guide on how to tell wolves, coyotes and dogs apart.

Over the last couple of months, there have been more reports of wolf sightings in Hope Valley than normal, so they've been investigating.

So far, it's just been rumors.

"The rumor mill has caught fire," said Tira.

Tira said there are eight packs of wolves now in California. The closest is the Antelope Pack, north of Truckee in northern Nevada County. Wolves prefer to be in remote areas, far away from humans and civilization. Bears and coyotes have become more urbanized but the wolves don't like being close to people. Wolves will come into contact with ranchers in remote areas.

Wolves disperse and start their own packs, the reason California now has eight. Some packs are as small as two, others as big as 15 or more. They will spread out to find a mate and establish their territory.

"It is not inconceivable it will happen, but to date, there is absolutely no evidence," said Tira of wolves in the area.

Public reports are an important tool for CADFW, and if you believe you've sighted a wolf, fill out the form here https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf/Sighting-Report. If the web form doesn't allow you to upload all your photographs or videos, please send them to WolfProgram@wildlife.ca.gov.