Over the last few thousand years (and especially in the last few hundred years), wolves have had a hard go of things. They have been driven to extinction in many areas and their populations have plummeted. But over the last half-century or so, humanity has had a change of heart and now wolf ranges are once again expanding.
One of the greatest reintroduction success stories for wolves has been in Yellowstone. It is now a great place to see wolves and many other animals, one should plan one's trip around the migration and breeding patterns of the animals in Yellowstone.
The Extirpation Of Wolves In the Lower 48
The American westward expansion of the 1800s brought people into conflict with wolves and wolves preying on the settler's livestock. The wolves started preying on the livestock after the wolves' prey base was removed with the development of agriculture. Wolves were shot and poisoned in Yellowstone National Park. This included other species no longer seen as compatible with agriculture - like bears, cougars, coyotes, elk, and deer.
When Yellowstone was first established in 1872, the gray wolf was still present. But they were extirpated with even the early park managers participating in the extermination of the wolves.
- Early Park Managers: Participated In Extirpating The Wolves in Yellowstone
In a time before the interconnecting of species and key concepts of the ecosystem were understood, park rangers thought they were doing a service to the park. Wolves were seen as destructive for killing their prey. Between 1914 and 1926 a minimum of 136 wolves were killed in the park.
- Mid-1900s: Wolves Had Almost Completely Been Eliminated From The Lower 48
- Survey In 1970s: Found No Evidence of Wolves in Yellowstone (Rarely Reported Since the 40s)
- 1980s: Wolves Began To Reestablish Themselves In Montana
Change of Heart And Reintroduction
In the 1960s, the NPS had a change of policy and decided to let populations manage themselves. But by this time, gray wolves were no longer present.
From late 1994 to 1996, wolves were captured in Canada and relocated and released in both Yellowstone and central Idaho. They were temporarily penned in Yellowstone and fed elk, deer, moose, or bison that had died in and around the park. Their interaction with humans was minimized.
- Relocated: Wolves Were Captured In Canada For Yellowstone
Today they are another animal to watch out for on a Yellowstone wildlife tour.
The Success of The Reintroduction
The reintroduction of wolves into the park was an immediate success.
In the park, wolves have preyed primarily on elk. As they kill the elk, the elk carcasses provide food for other animals in the park - especially scavengers as well as grizzly bears. They also prey on bison. It has also evened out the supply of elk carrion with wolves preying year-round instead of many dying in the harsh winters.
- Elk's Predators: Wolves, Black Bears, Grizzly Bears, Coyotes, and Cougars (Plus People Hunt Outside The Park)
According to yellowstonepark.com, the reintroduction of the gray wolf has had a positive effect on various other species in the park, like beavers. When they were reintroduced in 1995, there was only one beaver colony in the park and today there are nine colonies, and more are likely to come.
"...the reintroduction of wolves continues to astonish biologists with a ripple of direct and indirect consequences throughout the ecosystem.... [They have] triggered a still-unfolding cascade effect among animals and plants-one that will take decades of research to understand."
Wolves have also let to healthier willow stands in Yellowstone. With the absence of wolves, the elk's population grew threefold and leading to over browsing of the willow. But now that the elk are kept on the move, they don't have time to intensely browse the willow as they used to. At the same time, more beavers cutting the willows have resulted in more verdant and healthy stands of the willow.
Wolves Today
In 2015 there were an estimated 528 wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with a 2021 counter estimating at least 95 in the park itself with 8 packs.
- Population: Approx. 528 In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
- When To See: Peak Activity Is At Dawn and Dusk
- Where To See: The Northern Range of Yellowstone Is Considered One of the Best Places in The World to Watch Wolves
Wolves are not normally a danger to humans and it is always important not to feed them (or any other wildlife in the park). No wolf has attacked a human in Yellowstone (although there have been a few attacks elsewhere)
The success is mirrored elsewhere, wolves are spreading back across Europe with wolves even being reported in the Netherlands. In Scotland, there is always the debate of reintroducing them, while Colorado just passed a measure in 2021 to reintroduce wolves to the Mountain State.