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Wolves on the West Coast 

OR 7's first pups playing, sires second litter

 

This video originally appeared onthe Center's YouTube channel.

 

Famed Wolf OR-7 Sires a Second Litter of Pups in Southern Oregon

Big news for wolf recovery on the West Coast: Wildlife officials in Oregon report that wolf OR-7-- who made international headlines in 2011 for becoming the first wild wolf in California in 87 years -- has sired another litter of pups.

OR-7 has been roaming southern Oregon and Northern California for the past four years; he finally found a mate last year and had a litter of pups. It's happened again for the second year in a row: While the new pups haven't been seen, biologists say they've found scat making it clear there's another litter.

It's great news, but the future of wolf recovery in Oregon and the West still hangs in the balance. Oregon wildlife commissioners are considering a proposal to end state protections for wolves, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service keeps pushing to end federal protections for nearly all wolves around the country.

"OR-7 traveled 4,000 miles to find a mate and start a family," said the Center for Biological Diversity's Amaroq Weiss, "but this important recovery can only continue if we keep protecting wolves."

Read more in The Oregonian -- where you can also see photos of OR-7's pups from a year ago

Jeffrey pine photo by John Villinski.