Wyoming wolf monitoring update
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
March 9, 2010
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports:
"On 3/3/10, WY Wildlife Services trapped and radio collared an adult female from west of Cody, WY.
"On 3/5/10, 2 wolves (1 male yearling and 1 female pup) were captured by Quick Silver Air during elk capture/collaring efforts for the University of Wyoming Absaroka Elk project.
"Capture operations in YNP will continue into March. The primary objective will be the Gibbon Meadows Pack, which the largest pack in the park and has only one radio-collared wolf.
"After forming in 1996 and persisting for 14 years, the Druid Peak Pack is probably gone. The pack is now down to one wolf that will probably not survive the winter as it is very thin and has mange. At the end of 2009, the pack consisted of 11 wolves, but since that time several wolves have died and the long-time alpha male dispersed with a non-functioning radio collar. The alpha female was killed by other wolves last fall. Already another pack, the Silver Pack, has moved into historic Druid territory in Lamar Valley. Another trio of wolves has formed at the west end of their old territory. The loss of the Druid Peak Pack correlates with a decline in wolf numbers across the northern range in Yellowstone. At the end of 2007 there were 94 wolves on the northern range; however, in 2010, there are approximately 33 wolves."
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