California's last lone wolf was reportedly killed in 1924 in Lassen County. Once a widely distributed species throughout the Pacific Northwest, the settlement of European Americans led to the eradication of the gray wolf from California. Bounties on wolves had been established in Europe dating back to ancient Greece, so consequently European settlers came to America with this plan in mind. One of the early Plymouth colonies established a fine for "anyone who fired a pistol on an unnecessary occasion, or in any game except at an Indian or a wolf" (Hampton 63). The colonists believed that wolves were the embodiment of evil: they endangered human life and well-being, killed livestock and depleted game. The government imposed bounties on wolves, encouraging their hunting, trapping and poisoning. The few surviving California wolves were followed by bounty hunters for months until they were captured and killed. Strychnine was the poison of choice for wolves. Meat laced with this deadly toxin inevitably attracted other animals as well, creating large losses of coyotes, foxes, skunks, and birds such as hawks, eagles, and ravens. It was not a humane way of killing, strychnine causes convulsions that prevent breathing, so the animal dies from suffocation. The loss of the wolf in California, an important apex predator, has resulted in a weakening of the ecosystem. Wolves prey on sick, injured, old or young animals, which is helpful in keeping populations healthy and stable. As a result, deer and rabbits have increased in numbers due to a lack of predation. An excessive deer population can overuse plant species and destroy the plant base. This makes the habitat less suitable for other animals. Scavengers' food is sour... half paper... ten million dollars spent by visitors since wolves were reintroduced to the park. California tourism would likely benefit as well. Although people may be afraid of wolf attacks, they are actually very rare. In fact, there has never been a documented death due to wolves in all of North America. Whether or not wolf recovery efforts extend to California, the wolf continues to live on in Native myth, language, and ceremonies. Our historical records will continue to demonstrate that California was once home to the gray wolf. We know that Charles Frémont, who traveled through the San Joaquin Valley in 1844, wrote in his journal, “We often saw wolves during the day, prowling after the young antelope, which cannot run very fast” (Defenders 36). For now, the wolf will be listed among the species no longer found in California, right next to the grizzly bear.