Druid alpha male 21M has disappeared. It doesn't look good.

Dr. Doug Smith, head of the Yellowstone wolf team confirmed to me this morning that the long time alpha male of the Druid Peak pack, no. 21M, has been missing for ten days (last seen June 11). His radio collar had not been working for over a year, but 21 was seen on most days. Now he has been absent for 10 days and 253M, the wolf who went to Utah and was returned, is trying to assume leadership of the pack. Smith said "it doesn't look good for 21."

253M is the other veteran male in the pack. He seems to be assuming leadership, but was challenged the other day by 302M, the former Leopold Pack wolf who has been trying to join the pack for several years and indeed is probably the father of a number of the Druid wolves. 302 mated with a number of the pack's females in winters past against the wishes of 21M and his late alpha female 42F. Most of pack's younger members have always showed affection to 302 when he would come visit while 21 was out of sight.

Now the old guard is appears to be gone. Whether 253, who was a very loyal beta male and a very tough one despite his permanent leg injury, one can withstand 302's challenge or perhaps that of a younger Druid wolf is a question everyone is asking. See more recent comments at bottom

News is starting to come in. Here is a very interesting report from veteran wolf observer John Harryman:

My notes.

* RLUs are raised leg urinations. They are a signal of dominance. Double RLUs are a sign of bonding between a male and a female.

** Wolves rarely attack prey in deep water because the wolves can get no footing. This is unusual behavior.

***376F has a GPS collar. Doug Smith told me he thought she and the pups are OK. The collar indicates she has moved into the nearby timber.

Update late after noon 6-21-

I spoke with Rick McIntyre. He said the attack on the bull elk described above doesn't seem to have begun in the deep water, but on the south side of the river and the elk headed for deep water, which is a common escape tactic. That elk was killed by members of the pack sometime during the night.

Regarding the confrontation between 302M and 253M, 302 and a non-Druid black wolf were at the rendezvous site with some of the younger Druids on June 14. 253 came along and there was probably a brief fight in the bushes. Then 253 and 302 came out into the open and confronted each other, but 253 then attacked 302's companion and the younger Druids joined in 253's attack, and even 302 might have briefly nipped at his companion, the non-collared black wolf. However, 302 and the black wolf then left the area.

McIntyre said it isn't clear yet in what manner 302 and 286 were seen doing double RLUs. The critical feature is not so much the double RLU, but whether the male initiates it and then the female marks on top of the male's urine.

McIntyre said that cinematographer Bob Landis had seen 286 and 302 performing RLUs, but it wasn't clear yet which wolf initiated them.

302M and the uncollared black male were back at the rendezvous site this morning.

McIntrye said, there are three possibilities about the status of 21M.

1. He simply has slipped by observers for 10 days. That would be very unusual, but not impossible.
2. He is laid up, injured or sick. One female in the pack has a limp from a difficult kill of a bull elk about 10 days ago. Maybe 21 was injured that day.
3. Finally, 21 is dead due to an injury from the battle with the elk or another reason.

Update 6-22
21M is still missing. Both 253M and 302M are in the Druid Pack area. No encounters between the two were seen.

Update 6-24
Still no sign of 21M. 302M and his black, younger male companion showed up on June 23 and interacted with a number of the younger Druids. 253M came and chased the younger black wolf and a number of the younger Druids joined in the chase. Rick McIntyre said the younger wolves seem to join whoever, quickly.

Today, 286F and 255F joined with 302M and his "buddy," and went on a hunt.

376F's pups were seen today for the first time in about ten days. There are still 2 of them. Seven pups have been counted so far for 286F on Druid Peak.

Update 6-30
Basically there is no new information. 302M and his black buddy tend to hang around the Druid rendezvous area and interact with the Druid wolves there, while 253M seems to favor the traditional den area more.

21M has not been seen.

Update 7-2
302M and his black friend are still around, but early today 253M and 6 other wolves (the main group) went for a hunt up the Lamar River, upstream from Lamar Valley, and haven't returned.

The question is whether 302 and 253 will work things out, or whether the present is a lull before the confrontation.

Druid alpha male 21M absent. It doesn't look good.

6-21-2004, updates 6-22, 24, and 30