An endangered gray wolf that wandered thousands of miles through Northern California is dead.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says the 3- to 4-year-old female dubbed OR-54 was found on Wednesday in Shasta County.

It's not clear yet whether she died by accident, naturally or was deliberately and illegally killed.

OR-54 was born in Oregon, where she was captured and given a tracking collar.

She came to California in 2018 and roamed more than 8,700 miles, mainly through nine northern counties.

Only about a dozen wolves are thought to be living in California.

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