In recent months, ranchers in California have faced an alarming increase in wolf attacks on livestock, prompting serious concerns about their safety and the viability of their operations. Paul Roen, a Plumas County rancher, suffered a catastrophic loss. On one occasion last month, predators killed four of his calves within a span of just 48 hours. Wolves wreaked wolfish mayhem from March 7 to June 9. It turned out they had killed about 30 of their customers’ calves across Plumas and Sierra counties in that span. The scene turned volatile quickly. The total number of confirmed or probable wolf attacks statewide jumped from 54 on June 4 to 122 by Sept. 1.
We think that the Beyem Seyo pack is behind these attacks. This exciting pack features three adult wolves and a boisterous litter of pups. The increase in hostile actions taken by this gang has compelled ranchers to implement stricter safeguards to defend their herds. On the Roen property, Roen and Plumas County Supervisor Dwight Ceresola patrol their properties at night. Once again, they’re focused and motivated to keep these predators at bay.
Impact on Ranchers and Livestock
These mounting financial burdens from wolf attacks have forced ranchers such as Roen to suffer great financial stress. He was logging that his ranch has already put down over $20,000 worth of monitoring equipment. Among other things, this has allowed them to purchase night vision binoculars and a $10,000 thermal-imaging drone. These investments underscore the level of desperation that ranchers everywhere are experiencing as they try to save their herds.
Roen’s resolve to protect his sheep is more than monetary. He recounted the harrowing experience of discovering the aftermath of an attack: “Tore it to pieces in 30 seconds.” Roen has experienced a deep emotional impact as a result of these events. As one wrote, “It has changed my mental health tremendously—it’s all I do these days.” He added with a sense of urgency, “I’m out there until midnight or one o’clock every night and then the next morning, get up at six o’clock and go find the dead ones.”
Ranchers have long expressed frustrations about how states have responded to the growing issue of wolves. Chris Stoots, who is working every day to change that, was candid about a critical concern. At any given time, there are only 6-10 state employees on duty to protect the welfare of over 20,000 cows and calves. This significant loss of manpower has led many to start questioning how effective our current strategies are.
State Response and Resource Allocation
To meet the escalating crisis, on June 9 the state deployed the first 18 wildlife specialists and game wardens. Their job was to help ranchers in Sierra Valley by running night patrols to prevent wolf attacks. For a lot of ranchers, these efforts just don’t cut it. The first $3 million for the new wildlife protection program was spent out by 2024. In response, the state allocated $2 million more for the 2025–2026 budget.
Around these financial commitments, ranchers feel that stronger, more aggressive actions are needed. For Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher, this chaotic scene calls for an even tougher approach. He explained that his team needed to be given the go ahead to cull wolves that had gotten used to hunting domestic animals. For their part, ranchers are making clear just how much this issue is threatening their livelihoods. They feel like a quickly expanding wolf population is invading their land and threatening their only source of income and traditional lifestyle.
Though he understands that trauma ranchers are experiencing, Shawn Cantrell, vice president of species conservation and coexistence for Defenders of Wildlife. They are doing their best to hold together this impossible moment. These wolves are trespassing on private property,” he continued. That’s why Cantrell wants them to learn to coexist. At the same time, he recognizes the struggle that livestock producers are going to experience in their economic viability.
Advocacy for Federal Support
Confronted with these issues, Paul Roen and other affected ranchers organized to act. They headed to Washington, D.C., to tell the story of their region and ask for federal support. They need federal authorities to understand what wolf predation means for their way of life. They’re calling for more proactive and smarter management strategies to close this gap. Ranchers are left annoyed at the inability to act while they can do nothing as their livestock is slaughtered without reprisal.
Their calls for action highlight a critical question: “How can you justify them being able to attack someone’s livelihood and not be able to do anything about it? Are we going to wait until a human gets attacked?” However, ranchers are experiencing increasing urgency. They agree that it is urgent to take action now to avoid further livestock losses and the loss of human life from this growing threat.
The situation remains tense as ranchers continue to advocate for their rights while balancing the ecological importance of wolves within California’s ecosystems. Predatory wildlife continues to threaten livestock farming. This precarious situation threatens the very future of farming in this fertile region.