Wolves B7M and B11F, which were recaptured in the Big Hole Valley of SW Montana last December and then placed in an enclosure in Yellowstone, have been returned to Idaho. Both were originally released in Idaho in January 1995.The pair, which formed last winter, had been responsible for killing a cow and perhaps attacking others in the Big Hole Valley, a sparsely- populated Montana valley next to the Idaho border.
Early reports are that the pair is now in an enclosure in the Selway River area. This is a deep wilderness location in central Idaho. The upper portion of the Selway already supports one wolf pack derived from the Idaho reintroductions. This pack has at least three members.
Last May there was speculation the nos. 7 and 11 had produced pups, but this turned out not to be true. The two were kept together in the Nez Perce Creek enclosure in Yellowstone during the bulk of the mating season this winter. Will there be pups this spring, and will the pair stay deep in the wilderness or head back to the Big Hole Valley when they are released?
I should add that placing them in the enclosure is the first instance of "soft" release of wolves in Idaho.
© 1997 Ralph Maughan
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