A member of the Stanley Pack, wolf B55M, has been killed by Wildlife Services. He was part of the large Stanley Pack that presently inhabits the Sawtooth Valley and west side of the White Cloud mountains. Number 55 had multiple depredations of both cattle and sheep. He, and the pack's alpha male no. B27M, seem to have taken to livestock lately. I'm not sure if there is a lethal take order out for B27. Although two wolves from Idaho that killed cattle in Montana were shot this year in Montana, no. 55 is the first Idaho wolf in Idaho to be shot by the government for depredations.
The Stanley Pack, which formed in the spring of 1997, has long inhabited a scenic mountain area that has much livestock in the summer. In the summer of 1997 and 98, they inhabited Stanley Basin, Marsh Creek, and the surrounding mountains. This spring the alpha female, B23F, denned about 15 miles further south on the edge of the Sawtooth Valley.
This is a large pack. I'm not sure anyone knows how many members it has, including the new pups. The loss of one or two members should not in theory harm the pack. However, wolf packs have their own internal social dynamic and the results of removing members, especially an alpha male are not entirely predictable. Hopefully the removal of no. 55 and perhaps 27 will restore the co-existence of the pack with livestock in the area.
As a footnote, as scenic as the Sawtooth Valley is, I am surprised wolf tourism similar to that in the Lamar in Yellowstone has not developed.
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