Wednesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was successful tranquilizer-darting and capturing the wandering wolf pack south of Dillon, Montana. They also killed venerable wolf 27F, who they believe led the pack into their l00 mile long dispersal from Yellowstone and into livestock depredation.
Six wolves have been returned to Yellowstone. If all of the wolves in fact dispersed, there should be seven returned to Yellowstone. Perhaps one of the three pups was lost somewhere in the last several weeks.
The livestock was killed on the property of Zenchiku Land and Livestock Co, a large foreign-owned (Japanese) ranch that takes up much of the land in the vicinity of Dillon.
It is not clear how many calves were killed -- a least three and probably more. Number 27 was killed because she killed some sheep near Nye, Montana in the summer of 1996. There is a "two strikes" policy for wolves that kill livestock.
I would be interested to find out if the pack's dispersal was halted by Interstate Highway 15. There is increasing talk about the need to maintain or recreate biological corridors for wildlife. I have always suspected that I-15 is a barrier.