Weekly Progress Report
Week Oct 27 - Nov 2, 2001
Monitoring
See the 2000 annual report mountain-prairie.fws.gov/wolf/annualrpt00/ for a map of pack locations and home ranges.
Famous Yellowstone female wolf #9 (whose radio-collar is dead) was seen this week with 2 other adults and 3 pups in the Beartooth pack. The pups are assumed to be from her daughter, who is the pack's alpha female. Wolf #9 is nearly white and lags behind the pack but still hanging in there. No attempts will be made to re-collar her.
Please report wolf sightings!! If hunters report evidence of wolves to you please pass that information along to the Service.
Livestock Depredations & Management (control)
A small dog (registered Pomeranian) was killed by a wolf near Kemmerer, WY. Apparently the dog ran out toward another animal in the front yard around noon and was grabbed. The owners scared the wolf off and it dropped the dog, but it was dead. Near the same area 2 border collie type dogs were also injured, probably by the same wolf(s). Both survived but one is in very serious condition. Attempts are being made to capture and collar the wolf to determine if any other wolves may have been involved. Unconfirmed reports suggest more than one wolf may be in the area. Sheep were killed by a lone wolf in this area during the summer and lethal control may be re-authorized.
In the Dunior Valley (near Dubios, WY) a McNab-type collie was killed at a house a few miles from the 2001 Washakie pack den. Lethal control was reinitiated since this pack also killed livestock this summer. Earlier attempts to remove 2-3 uncollared pack members were postponed because of the big game hunting season which has now ended. WS began trapping this week, if unsuccessful aerial gunning will be considered.
Research
Nothing new to report.
Information, Education & Law Enforcement
A hunter reported finding a dead wolf in the Gravelly Range. Its carcass was recovered and its death is under investigation by LE.
A gray female pup was accidently killed in a snare set for coyotes in Idaho. The wolf was found on private land near Driggs, just west of Grand Teton National Park. The incident was immediately reported and LE is investigating. The experimental population rules allow for the accidental taking of wolves during otherwise legal activities. This incident is of particular interest because no known wolf packs/dens are documented near that area.
On the 30th, the Service's Portland and Denver Regional Offices, Snake River Basin Field Office in Boise, and the Recovery Coordinator participated in a conference call to discuss coordination of wolf recovery issues in the northwestern US and on the national wolf reclassification proposal.
The Defenders of Wildlife is sponsoring "CARNIVORES 2002" in Monterey, CA November 17-20, 2002. The Conference will address issues and research on all carnivores, including cats, dogs, bears, mesocarnivores, marine, and avian. For more information see www.defenders.org/carnivores2002. The deadline for abstracts and session suggestions is February 2002. The Carnivores 2000 Conference was very successful and selected proceedings were published in a special edition of the Endangered Species Update, July/August 2001, Vol 18(4):93-192.
The weekly wolf report can now be viewed at the Service's Region 6 web site at www.r6.fws.gov/wolf.
Contact: Ed Bangs (406)449-5225 or Internet - ED_BANGS@FWS.GOV
Home | Organization | Wolves | Library | Trips & Events | Ralph | Donations | Site Map | Guestbook | Email
Site owned by ©1998-2002 Wolf Recovery Foundation.
Site Design and Graphics by ©1997-2002 Wolff Den Design™ All Rights Reserved.
No part of this site or any material within this site may be
used without the expressed written permission from the author.