Two more wolves from the Sheep Mountain Pack were killed by Wildlife Services early in the morning on Nov. 3, to bring to six the total wolves in the pack to be terminated in the last month. Shot, were two gray yearling females. Previously, three pups, and the alpha male were shot. This is for depredations on cattle in the area. The rationale given is that the pack may have more members than can be adequately fed. Therefore, they resort occasionally preying on the abundant cattle in the valley bottom.
This is a hopeful hypothesis. If true, it may end the control actions.
The pack has not killed a large number of cattle, but its attacks have become more frequent and are taking place in the bottom of Paradise Valley, which is mostly private, fenced pastureland. Abnormally warm and dry weather has kept the elk and the deer in the high country, perhaps another explanation for the pack's behavior. During most winters, ungulate prey is abundant from December through May. The valley is not rich in legal prey for wolves in the summer and autumn.
Only two of the remaining members of the pack are radio-collared, the alpha female, no. 16F and a yearling male 164M. The wolf team did not want Wildlife Services to go after no. 16, because, as the alpha female, she probably holds the pack together. Without her, wolves with experience killing cattle might well disperse throughout the area.
My Views-
The fact that the wolves were chasing and killing cattle in the valley bottom was a very bad omen. I support the termination of these wolves. Hopefully the rest of the pack will survive. However, if the pack is eliminated, more wolves will soon move north from Yellowstone into area and occupy their place, perhaps with better results.
Given the current landownership patterns in the area, wolves are running out of secure habitat beginning about 20 miles due north of Yellowstone National Park. There has been much controversy over control of this pack, but folks should realize that it is a farm area. In addition, development is invading the area. The livestock will soon disappear, but unless a wealthy land trust, or such an individual buys the land, it will soon all be a mixture of exclusive and tawdry subdivisions, Most of the wildlife and esthetics will disappear although this may be partially offset by the disappearance of the cattle.
If folks want to do something to help the situation in the long run, they should support President Clinton in his budget negotiations with the Congress and urge him to extract his proposal to spend billions to buy public land as a concession from the backward Western Republicans.
Unpleasant letters to Ed Bangs will not help as he has little power to deal with the essence of the problem which is we are running of wolf habitat in this particular area.
I am afraid we will soon look back at the Paradise Valley as yet another scenic western valley that has been horribly messed up.
Added on Nov. 17. The long spell of seasonally very warm and dry weather has led the Sheep Mountain Pack back up into the the mountains, and out of the cattle in the valley bottom. The elk have not come down to the winter range. Is this why the wolves took to killing cattle? Did the wolves come down expecting the elk, and the elk didn't show?
The Sheep Mountain Pack is split, however, with no.16F (alone? -- hard to say due to lack of radio collars) in the mountains on the east side (Absaroka) and the male and some other wolves on the west side. This group was recently located right on top of the Gallatin Range at Windy Pass.
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