California’s wolf comeback is raising the stakes for ranchers after new cattle DNA findings

California’s wolf comeback is raising the stakes for ranchers after new cattle DNA findings

With the iconic animal having been absent from the state for over a century, California's growing gray wolf population is often framed as a conservation success story. But new research shows that this widely celebrated recovery comes with serious consequences for ranchers and rural communities. According to researchers at the University of California, Davis, nearly three-quarters of gray wolf droppings examined contained cattle DNA. "Whether it'…