Yellowstone Wolves

In Remembrance of Wolf #10

It was Saturday, July 29th when record-force winds raged through the Rose Creek area of Yellowstone. Many of the tall Spruce trees surrounding the enclosure had toppled to the ground under the enormous strain. A couple of the trees had fallen directly across the pen!

It wasn't until Monday morning that anyone became aware of what had taken place. Doug Smith, who was on his way to bring food to the family, was the first to discover the disaster. Not only was he shocked by the extensive damage, but he soon realized that all 8 pups were missing! Only #9 remained in the pen, and was again pacing about nervously! Doug noticed two gaping holes in the enclosure where the pups had apparently escaped through.

Upon receiving the alarming phone call, Mike Phillips quickly organized a search party. They had no idea what they were going to do, but knew they had to do something! They expected the pups to be in the vicinity of the enclosure, but after spreading out and looking around no trace of the pups could be found. Growing impatient and a bit discouraged, Mike Phillips decided to howl!

That was all it took! Not only did the pups howl back, but they all came rushing out from under a huge Douglas Fir tree! 3 of the pups were so excited that they ran straight back into the pen through one of the holes! The other 5 were not so easy to catch. By that time, they had grown into healthy, twenty five+ pound pups!

After repairing the enclosure they were able to catch 2 more of the pups, but 3 managed to elude capture. An observation post was constructed so the team could better monitor the whereabouts and abilities of the 3 free-ranging pups, but the pups never wandered more than a few hundred yards from the pen. The strong social bonds to their mother and siblings kept them from leaving the area.

One evening team members observed the 3 free-ranging pups fend off two coyotes who had wandered into the area. It was at this time that all capture attempts were terminated. The team felt reasonably assured that the young pups were now able to defend themselves against invading predators.

The team would continue to leave food outside the pen for the pups and just accept the fact that the family would not be reunited until mid October when the gates to the acclimation pen were opened.

As the date of release neared, a lone wolf was observed in the vicinity of the Rose Creek acclimation pen. It was first seen standing on a ridge several hundred yards behind the enclosure. Team members determined that the wolf was a yearling male called #8 who had recently dispersed from another of Yellowstone's newly introduced packs, the Crystal Creek Pack.

Before Wolf #9 had even left the acclimation pen she had attracted her first suitor!

Then, one day before the scheduled release, 2 of the free-ranging pups were observed licking the young male's mouth! This was the way pups begged for food! Apparently, the pups were being fed and cared for by the young, but very capable male!

This behavior surprised even the most experienced wolf biologists. Here was this male wolf, who had absolutely no investment in the pups or claim on their mother, but who had taken on the responsibility of surrogate parent!

On the morning of October 11th, 1995 Wolf #9 and the 5 pups were released from the Rose Creek acclimation pen. Nobody had any idea what would happen next. Would #9 accept the handsome male as her new mate or would she attack him and run him off?

The team did not have to wait long for the answer. The two groups of wolves raced toward each other at full speed! Once joined, they proceeded to jump, lick, howl, and celebrate! Wolf #9 had accepted the joyful and much relieved male as her new mate! The acceptance ritual that followed was nothing short of spectacular!

It had been an uphill battle for Wolf #10's family right from the beginning. The family had survived not one, but two, potential disasters. Now Wolf #9 had found a new mate for herself and a loving and devoted father for the pups. And though Wolf #8 could never take the place of Wolf #10, he would help fill the void left by #10's tragic murder and lead the family toward a new beginning!