![]() On Apnear Red Lodge, Montana, #10 was illegally shot by Chad McKittrick who received a prison sentence and fine. His mate, #9, pregnant with pups, followed him soon after. As feared #10, the alpha male in the Rose Creek pack, almost immediately headed north and crossed the border to Montana. (Photo: NPS/Jim Peaco) A Protected Wolf is KilledĬrossing their fingers for luck, biologists opened the pens the last week of March. Crystal Bench wolf acclimation pen, October 1994. Carcasses of elk were covertly “planted” to give wolves a taste of their new environment. To make the wolves establish a home in the park, Yellowstone built three acclimation pens to house 14 wolves for several weeks. It was feared that the expensive, transplanted wolves would simply head north to home. Wolves have a large roaming area and a homing instinct. In 1974 the gray wolf was added to the list.īiologists in Yellowstone began exploring the idea of bringing Canadian wolves to the park and on Januthe first eight wolves arrived from Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. To protect declining species from the shortsightedness of man, the Endangered Species Act was created. As early as the 1930s, scientists were alarmed by the degradation and were worried about erosion and plants dying off. Once the wolves were gone, the elk population exploded and they grazed their way across the landscape killing young brush and trees. 70 Years Later, Reintroduction of Wolves in 1995Īs attitudes towards wild ecosystems changed, people began questioning whether a wolf-less Yellowstone environment was a healthy one. Wolves had been pursued with more determination than any other animal in United States history. But, by the end of the 1920s, gray wolves had been hunted to eradication. When the Hayden expedition explored Yellowstone in the late 1800s, wolf packs roamed the park. But wildlife biologists felt the wolves played a key role in the Yellowstone ecosystem, including controlling the elk population, which had ballooned in the wolves’ absence and wreaked havoc on the range. ![]() Truck carrying wolves driving through Roosevelt Arch with school children watching, Janu(Photo: NPS/Diane Papineau)īringing back the wolves struck a nerve among ranchers along the park’s boundaries who feared the wolves would wander out of the park and kill their livestock. By the end of 1996, 31 wolves were relocated to the park. They became the first wolves to roam Yellowstone since the 1920s when the last pack was killed. Inside were eight gray wolves from Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. 12, 1995, it was almost like watching a modern-day Trojan horse arrive in Yellowstone. When the long white truck drove into through Roosevelt Arch on Jan. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |