Sunday, May 17, 2009

Yellowstone wolf news

A couple of interesting items from the Wyoming Wolf Program Weekly Report:

"Recently, two separate situations in YNP with habituated wolves have occurred. In the first situation, the Canyon pack denned within a half mile from the Mammoth/Park Headquarters area where there is also a residential area. The wolves have traveled through the residential area and killed elk there as well as close to the road near visitors. None of the wolves (4 of them, 3 males and 1 female) have been a human safety threat, regardless they have been hazed from the residential area (bean bags and cracker shells) and will be continually hazed each time they enter this area. Results from hazing have been effective and it has reduced the time they come in to the developed area. These practices are consistent with how grizzly bears are treated as a grizzly was hazed from the same area on May 14. If there is any evidence of a human safety threat then the offending animal will be removed. The den area is being protected through a closure and visitors are advised to not approach these wolves for photographs or any other reason as it negates the effectiveness of the hazing.

"In the second situation, a young wolf dispersing probably from the Gibbon Meadows pack chased people on bicycles and a motorcycle on several occasions. It is unclear how many times as it appears the wolf has been illegally fed and this and other incidences of habituation have gone unreported. This wolf is considered a human safety threat and active measures to remove it have been ongoing since May 7 without success. There is no plan at the moment to suspend activities to find and kill this animal because it is considered a threat to human safety. Again, visitors are advised to not approach wolves or any other wildlife in YNP as it is unsafe and leads to habituated wildlife which ultimately will have to be removed."

(Also, check out "Monitoring" and "Research" at the Wolf Report linked to above.)

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