OR-7 facts for kids
OR-7 in Jackson County, Oregon, in May 2014
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| Other name(s) | Journey |
|---|---|
| Species | Gray wolf (Canis lupus) |
| Breed | Northwestern wolf subspecies (C. l. occidentalis) |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | April 2009 Oregon |
| Died | 2020 (presumed) |
| Nation from | United States |
| Parent(s) | B-300F/OR-2F (mother) & OR-4M |
| Offspring | 7 pups |
| Weight | 90 lb (41 kg) in February 2011 |
| Appearance | Gray |
| Named after | 7th wolf collared in Oregon |
OR-7, also known as Journey, was a male gray wolf. Scientists tracked him using a special collar. He traveled a very long way from the Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon to the southern Cascade Range.
In 2011, OR-7 left his family pack. He then walked over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) through Oregon and northern California. He was the first wild wolf seen in western Oregon since 1947. He was also the first in California since 1924. This made him very special!
By 2014, OR-7 found a home in the Rogue River area of Oregon. He also found a mate there. In early 2015, officials named OR-7, his mate, and their pups the Rogue Pack. This was the first wolf pack in western Oregon. OR-7's tracking collar stopped working in October 2015. Since then, scientists have used trail cameras and sightings to watch the pack. Other wolves have also moved into the area. Some of OR-7's relatives have even formed two new packs in northern California. OR-7 was not seen in 2020 and is thought to have died.
Contents
Why Wolves Need Protection
Wolves in the United States were once in danger of disappearing. Because of this, they were protected by the federal Endangered Species Act in 1978. This law helps animals that are at risk.
Later, wolves were brought back to Idaho. From there, they spread into the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest. In the 1990s, wolves started swimming across the Snake River from Idaho into Oregon.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) began catching these wolves. They fitted them with GPS tracking collars. These collars send daily updates about where the wolves are. Each collared wolf was given a number. Most wolves stayed in the northeast part of Oregon. This area has lots of elk and deer for them to eat.
In 2010, biologists saw wolves in the Cascade Range. They wanted to know if these were just single wolves passing through or if they were settling down. Wolves often roam alone to find a mate and new territory. In February 2011, the ODFW put collars on several wolves from the Imnaha Pack. This pack was Oregon's first since wolves returned to the state. OR-7 was a young male from this pack. He was the seventh wolf to be collared, so he was named OR-7.
OR-7's Amazing Journey
Like many young male wolves, OR-7 left his family pack in the Wallowa Mountains in September 2011. He was probably looking for a mate. In November, he became the first wolf seen in western Oregon in over 60 years. A camera trap photographed him near Butte Falls. This was the first time a wild wolf was known to be in southwestern Oregon since 1946.
In late December, OR-7 crossed into northern California. He was the first wolf documented in California since 1924. OR-7 stayed in California for a while. He walked through Siskiyou, Shasta, and Lassen counties. Then, in March 2012, he headed north back to Klamath County, Oregon. Soon after, he reached Jackson County. By this time, he had traveled more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km).
OR-7 returned to California again. He spent the summer in the Plumas National Forest. In December 2012, he was near Lake Almanor. He came back to Oregon in March 2013.
OR-7's journey became very famous around the world. In 2012, a group called Oregon Wild held a contest for children to name the wolf. The winning name was "Journey." This contest helped make OR-7 so well-known that people wanted to protect him.
Forming the Rogue Pack and Reproduction
In May 2014, cameras in the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest took pictures of OR-7 with a female wolf. It looked like they might be a pair. A month later, biologists found two wolf pups. They took samples to test their DNA. The tests showed that OR-7 was the father of the pups. The mother wolf was related to other wolf packs in northeastern Oregon.
The birth of these pups near the California border was exciting. It meant that wolves might start living in California again. In June 2014, California decided to protect these wolves under their state's Endangered Species Act.
OR-7, his mate, and their pups stayed in the Rogue River area. In early 2015, officials named them the Rogue Pack. This was Oregon's ninth wolf pack. By July, biologists found that OR-7 and his mate had a second litter of pups. A month later, cameras showed two new pups. This brought the pack's known size to seven wolves. By 2016, the pack had grown to nine wolves.
OR-7's GPS tracking unit stopped working in October 2015. Officials wanted to put a new collar on him to keep tracking the pack. However, they could not catch OR-7 or other pack members. So, they relied on trail cameras and sightings. In early 2016, a camera caught an image of OR-7 and one of his offspring.
On October 3, 2017, biologists caught and collared OR-54. She was another wolf from the Rogue Pack, thought to be OR-7's daughter. Her collar helped officials track the pack's movements. Sadly, OR-54 was found dead in February 2020.
OR-7 was last seen in Oregon in fall 2019. He was not found during the wolf count the next winter. It is believed he died around 2020, at about 11 years old. This is quite old for a wild wolf.
Since 2015, other wolves have also moved into western Oregon. These include the "Keno Pair" and the "Silver Lake Wolves." Oregon's wolf population grew to at least 110 in 2015, and 112 in 2017.
Wolves Spreading into California
In 2015, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) shared a photo of the Shasta Pack. This pack had two adult wolves and five pups in Siskiyou County, California. The adult wolves were OR-7's siblings.
In 2017, the CDFW found that at least three wolf pups from a second pack, the Lassen Pack, were related to OR-7. One of OR-7's male offspring had mated with another wolf to have these pups. This made Journey a grandfather! The Lassen Pack lives in Lassen National Forest. It is California's second wolf pack since wolves disappeared from the state in the 1920s. In June 2017, biologists put a tracking collar on the female wolf of the Lassen Pack.
OR-85 is a male wolf who traveled from Oregon to Siskiyou County in November 2020. By January 2021, another wolf, likely a female, joined OR-85. It is possible that other wolves are also moving into California without being seen. In August 2021, new information showed that two of California's three wolf groups had new pups. The Whaleback Pack, which includes OR-85 and a female related to Oregon's Rogue Pack, had 7 pups. The Lassen Pack had 6 pups.
See also
- List of grey wolf populations by country
- List of wolves
- Slavc
