WolfQuest

Reports have been circulating that OR-7, the wolf who was dubbed “Journey” because of his travels from his native Oregon to California, has passed. I wanted to cite the SacramentoBee article but it’s under a paywall.

Wandering wolf that captivated the world is believed dead
By Andrew Selsky, April 16
From MSN/AP

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A wolf that wandered thousands of miles from Oregon and became the first wild wolf spotted in California in almost 90 years before returning to Oregon and starting a pack is believed to be dead, wildlife officials said.

Read the full article here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/wande ... r-BB12Mw5Z

Somehow I find out about this through a forum post from two years ago. I suppose it is natural and all, but it doesn't change the fact that this was one of the wolves I obsessively researched in my spare time, this interest heightened by the fact that this wolf lived in the corner of the country I happened to be in: American Southwest, though very much leaning towards Pacific Northwest. I still never fail to be impressed that OR-7 here managed to live so long, though, reaching about double average wolf life expectancy. I can't find a proper way to word this, but this wolf was, in a way, important to me; a subject of intense interest. Life goes on though, and that means death does too. On the bright side, Colorado wolf reintroduction is happening!