Miscellaneous Yellowstone Wolves News

The following update contains the most recent information I've been able to obtain on the status of some of Yellowstone's wolf packs and individual wolves.

The Soda Butte Pack, one of the three original wolf packs from the 1995 reintroduction, has recently been renamed the "Yellowstone Delta pack."

There are two reasons for the renaming of this pack. One reason being that after the sudden death of Alpha female #14 last April, none of the original pack members were left.

After female #14 was killed presumably by a moose, many believed that the surviving pack members would all disperse, but surprisingly female #126 gave birth to a litter of 7-8 pups just days after her mother's death was discovered.

Female #126, who has since taken over as the new Alpha female of the rejuvenated pack, is the daughter of deceased Alpha female #14 and deceased Alpha male #13 (Old Blue) who passed away presumably of old age in March 1997.

The second reason for renaming the pack is that the pack has not frequented the area for which it was originally named since late 1995. The pack's new name is more reflective of what has been its primary home territory for several years now.

This pack's territory has always included areas of the Park where recorded snowfall has been the deepest. The original Soda Butte wolves loved deep snow, as do all its present members!

The former Crystal Creek Pack was also recently renamed. The pack's new name is "Mollie's pack" in memory of former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Mollie Beattie.

Ms. Beattie was always a strong supporter of the wolf recovery program and Secretary Bruce Babbitt made the announcement at his final press conference in Yellowstone Park on January 13, 2001.

I have no information about who the current Alpha's of this pack are, if indeed there are any. But I have learned that there are presently four wolves in this pack. Two are males and two are females.

Former Alpha female #5, the original Alpha female of the pack, left the pack early last summer and has been traveling as a lone wolf ever since, except for a brief time when surprisingly, observers saw her feeding with the Druid Peak pack at an elk kill!

The three surviving male Sheep Mountain pack wolves do not appear to be traveling together anymore, but they have all been recently located within the Paradise Valley.

This is the first time since their release on December 5, 2000 that they have been separated. It is speculated that all the human activity associated with the opening weekend of the late cow elk hunting program north of Yellowstone National Park and the upcoming breeding season may be the likely cause.

The three surviving wolves had been located for a time with several uncollared wolves and it was hoped that the group would stay together and form a pack.

In a bit of a surprise, according to the most recent Gray Wolf Recovery Report Alpha female #9 and her mate (the Beartooth Pair) are again listed as a "maybe" under packs that had successful litters in April 2000.

I have not been able to obtain any new information about why female #9 is once again appearing on this list. Wyoming U.S.F.W.S has not had any confirmed sightings of pups which may belong to female #9 as far as I've been able to learn.

This is very puzzling to me and I will attempt to check further into it.

According to sources no new evidence of pups has been found. But some biologists are still going under the assumption that because female #9 did have two separate den sites, there remains a remote possibility that she could have up to two surviving pups.

#9 and her mate are rarely seen because their territory is in a heavily timbered area, and it is quite possible that we may never know for sure if she did successfully breed in 2000.

Druid Peak pack sightings in the Park's Lamar Valley continue to occur almost on a daily basis. The pack is mostly seen in the very early morning and again right before dusk.

The pack's 20 pups are all alive and well and have integrated nicely into the pack's hierarchy. The pups can often be seen playing together and with various adult pack members.

Alpha male #21, one of the eight original Rose Creek pack pups born in 1995 to wolves #9 and #10, has been the Alpha male of the Druids since December 1997.

Female #42 has been the pack's Alpha female since May 2000 after her sister, Alpha female #40 was presumably killed by the pack in retaliation for years of tyrannical ruling.

Female #106 is the new Beta female of the Druids. I believe that #106 was formally the Omega of the pack, but since being one of three females in the pack to give birth, has risen in rank.

It is speculated that because of the sheer size of the pack (27 members) chances are it will eventually split into two or more groups, and as the pups mature some will leave the pack in search of mates and territories of their own.

But for now all is well in Druid country. And as the devoted Druid pack followers always say......Go Druids!! :-)