Yellowstone Wolf Update, end of October 1996

10/31/96

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Here is the latest Yellowstone wolf news, thanks to the Yellowstone Park wolf team.

There are presently 40 free ranging wolves plus 12 captive wolves. The latter are in the Rose Creek enclosure. They will be released next spring in the Pelican Valley.

SODA BUTTE PACK
See my articles of 10/14 and 10/6. Since the pack was released at Trail Creek in the far SE corner of Yellowstone, they have moved 15 miles to the NW. They are between Yellowstone Lake and Heart Lake.

THE (NEW) LONE STAR PAIR
Male no. 35M and his apparent new mate, no. 30F, remain together in the remote SE corner of Yellowstone Park.

ROSE CREEK PACK
The Park's largest pack remains in the Lamar Valley in the NE corner of the Park.

CRYSTAL CREEK BENCH PACK
The two remaining members of the pack remain in the Lamar area.

DRUID PEAK PACK
This is interesting. This pack consisted of five members. The presumed alpha female, "white wolf" no. 39, left the pack in August to wander north of the Park. My information was that she had returned to pack because it had five members again. However, she is reported is being located most recently in the Absaroka Mts. of Montana, 20-25 miles SE of Livingston (north of the Park). The fifth member of the pack appears to be a new wolf, no. 31M, a yearling from the Chief Joseph Pack. This pack too remains in the Lamar Valley area.

LEOPOLD PACK
This 5-member pack, the two adults and 3 pups remain as always on the Blacktail Deer Plateau in the northern part of the Park.

CHIEF JOSEPH PACK (OR PAIR)
The alpha female was killed by a semi-truck this summer. No. 31M, largely a lone wolf since release seems to have joined with Druid Peak. The remaining two -- nos. 33F and 34M -- were located south of Mammoth Hot Springs.

PAIR NO. 15M AND 26F
Since the release of no. 15 in September, he has remained with yearling female no. 26. They were last located northwest of West Thumb in the central part of the Park.

NUMBER 28M
The big male, formerly the alpha in the Nez Perce Pack, was not located. He was last located three weeks ago west of Earthquake Lake.

NEZ PERCE PACK
Alpha female no. 27 and her 3 pups have moved back to the Beartooth Front. They were located near Dean, Montana. The government still plans to recapture her and the pups. You can check my past updates for the long saga of trying to capture her and her pups.

No new news on the Idaho wolves. It seems like there are no funds to track them.