a publication of the international wolf …19 wolves of the world 25 news and notes 27 wild kids 28...

Center WolvesWelcome Pups, page 4

Mutiny OverthrowsAlpha Tyrant, page 8

Legends of OutlawWolves, page 12

A PUBL ICAT ION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTERWINTER 2000

A PUBL ICAT ION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTERWINTER 2000

(Cyberspace that is)www.wolf.org

• Wolf news and information• Magnificent photography• Unique holiday gifts• Program listings/registration• The latest Center developments• Comprehensive research data• Updates on our ambassador pack,

including arctic wolf pups Malikand Shadow

Special Web Feature!Test your wolf knowledge witha new interactive quiz!

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8 0 0 - 9 5 0 - 9 4 2 5

2 As a Matter of Fact

3 From the Executive Director

15 International Wolf CenterNotes From Home

16 Tracking the Pack

19 Wolves of the World

25 News and Notes

27 Wild Kids

28 A Look Beyond

4Arctic Wolf Pups MakeSmooth Transition IntoCenter’s PackArctic wolf pups Malik and Shadow(shown at left), were readily accepted byour resident wolves in Ely this summerand are now making the exciting transition as members of a wolf pack.

A n d r e a L o r e k S t r a u s s

Features

THE QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER VOLUME 10, NO. 4 WINTER 2000

On The CoverMalik, one of our new arctic wolf pups,

looks tentatively on before joining the Center’s resident pack in Ely on August 9 with his brother, Shadow.Sherry Jokinen, one of the Center’snannies, took this photo of Malik.

8The Death of a QueenWolf 40, the Druid Pack’s Alpha female, is overthrown and killed in this dramaticdepiction of social dynamics among wolves.

D o u g l a s S m i t h a n d R i c k M c I n t y r e

Departments

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Doug Smith puts a new radio collaron Wolf 40 after tranquilizing her soshe could be tracked and monitored.

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12Legends of the “Outlaw” WolvesPart I of a discussion of the legends behind “outlaw”wolves in the early 1900’s.

S t e v e G r o o m s

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Publications DirectorMary Ortiz

Managing EditorAmy Farrar

Technical Editor L. David Mech

Graphic DesignerTricia Hull

International Wolf (1089-683X) ispublished quarterly and copyrighted,2000, by the International Wolf Center,3300 Bass Lake Rd, Minneapolis, MN55429, USA. e-mail: [email protected] rights reserved.

Membership in the International WolfCenter includes a subscription toInternational Wolf magazine, free admissionto the Center, and discounts on programsand merchandise. • Lone Wolf member-ships are U.S. $30 • Wolf Pack $50 • Wolf Associate $100 • Wolf Sponsor $500 • Alpha Wolf $1000. Canada and othercountries, add U.S. $15 per year for airmail postage, $7 for surface postage.Contact the International Wolf Center,1396 Highway 169, Ely, MN 55731-8129,USA; e-mail: [email protected]; phone: 1-800-ELY-WOLF

International Wolf is a forum for airingfacts, ideas and attitudes about wolf-related issues. Articles and materialsprinted in International Wolf do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of theInternational Wolf Center or its board of directors.

International Wolf welcomes submissionsof personal adventures with wolves andwolf photographs (especially black andwhite). Prior to submission of other types of manuscripts, address queries to Mary Ortiz, publications director.

International Wolf is printed entirely with soy ink on recycled and recyclablepaper (text pages contain 20% post-consumer waste, cover paper contains 10% post-consumer waste). We encourageyou to recycle this magazine.

PHOTOS: Unless otherwise noted, orobvious from the caption or article text,photos are of captive wolves.

2 W i n t e r 2 0 0 0 w w w . w o l f . o r g

When do arctic wolfpups gain adult size?

Most wolves, including arctic wolves,reach adult size by about December oftheir first year if their nutrition is good. If food is scarce, their growth may bedelayed, but their growth ends at aboutone year of age. ■

How far can a wolf see and can it see in the dark?

New Question

“Howling Wind”, by Lee Kromschroeder. Courtesy of Lee Kromschroeder and Wild Wings Inc.

Correction International Wolf was

notified by two of our members that an excerpt

in our Wild Kids Department on page 29 of

our Fall, 2000 issue was incorrectly attributed

to Heather Williams. The excerpt, beginning

with "We wild ones are now very few," should

have been attributed to Jim Brandenburg,

who wrote it for his book Brother Wolf:

A Forgotten Promise, published by NorthWord

Press, Inc. Heather illustrated a wolf to go

along with the excerpt, which she must

have taken from Brandenburg's book.

I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f W i n t e r 2 0 0 0 19

In this beautiful FrenchAlpine region, sheep are

herded to the surroundinghills each spring in acenturies-old traditionknown as “la transhu-mance.” The sheep, often inflocks of 2,000 and guardedby only one shepherd, will graze on the remotemountain pastures for aboutfive months.

The 30 to 50 wolves nowliving in this region preyprimarily on red and roedeer, chamois (a goat ante-lope), and feral mouflon (a type of sheep). The sheepfarmers insist, however, that the wolves also preyheavily on their vulnerable

W O LV E S I N T H E F R E N C H A L P S

Treading Between Pastoralism and Advocacyb y N e i l H u t t

“Mort aux loups!”, or in English: “Death to wolves!” As sheep farmers parade theirflocks through the town of Aixen-Provence, they hold aloft signs protesting the presenceof wolves in southeastern France.

domestic flocks. Well over5,000 sheep have beenkilled by wolves in the pastfew years, the farmersclaim. Increasingly vocalwith their protests againstlegal protection of wolves in this mountain habitat,farmers and shepherdsinsist that the Frenchgovernment enact stringentlaws to safeguard their way of life.

The government hastaken several steps toappease the shepherds. Forexample, compensations arepaid for confirmed wolfkills. Methods of mitigatingattacks are also promoted.

Farmers are also encour-aged to use guard dogs andnighttime “harborages”protected by donated elec-tric fencing. Grants areavailable for the purchaseof vaccinated pups . Inaddition, the governmentwill allow farmers to shootwolves straying outside theboundaries of Mercantourand Queyras, the two “parcsnationaux” where the wolveshave returned after anabsence of more than 50 years.

Shepherds argue that eventhese measures do not

Anti-wolf signs like thisone reflect the viewpointamong many farmers inthe French Alps thatwolves are a threat to their pastoral way of life.

Mercantour National Park in Franceprovides a rich, mountainoushabitat for wolves with dense forestcover dominated by conifers.B.

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adequately protect theirherds against wolf attacks.Some farmers have called for wire fences around thenational parks to enclose the wolves. Others havedemanded the exterminationof wolves in the French Alps.“Sheep breeding and wolvesare incompatible,” claimedshepherd Frederick Bues (as quoted in the November1, 1999 issue of The ChristianScience Monitor).

Several national andinternational organizationsare determined to see thatthe re-established wolves inthe French Alps remainprotected. The suggestionthat wolves be shut in and managed within theboundaries of Mercantour

National Park andQueyras Park strikesmany wolf advo-cates as unthink-able. “To put a wolfin an enclosed spacemakes the speciesmeaningless,” parkoff ic ia l MicheleBlanchet said. “Youwouldn’t be keepingwolves, you’d be keepingjust a memory of wolves.”

Wolves were, in fact, justa memory in France formore than 50 years; then inthe early 1990’s, dispersersfrom Italy came to thesoutheastern regions of thecountry. The first definitesightings were made in thefall of 1992, and the firstpack of two wolves estab-lished itself during thatwinter in Mercantour Park.Since then, wolf numbershave grown, and wolveshave been documentedthroughout most of theFrench Alps.

This recent recoloniza-tion was celebrated bywildlife advocates and environmentalists alike.Wolf protectionists becameoptimistic that a viable

population of wolves couldbe established and sustainedin the region.

Their positive view wasbased on several factors.The first is that humanpopulation in rural areashas declined, leading to anincrease in prey speciessuch as red and roe deer. In addition, stronger legalprotection measures forwolves have gained publicsupport, and education has led to a better under-standing of predators.

Groupe Loup-Franceactively seeks support forwolves in France. Its website (www.loup.org) providesnews of recent develop-ments in what has become a nationwide wolf war. Aftera recent declaration by the national assembly that“the return of the wolf in France is today incompat-ible with the maintaining of French pastoralism,” acampaign was launched to prevent a wolf cull andthe establishment of wolfexclusion zones.

There are signs thatsome compromises could

“To put a wolf in an enclosed spacemakes the species

meaningless.You wouldn’t bekeeping wolves, you’d be keeping just a memory

of wolves.”

—park official Michele Blanchet

Paris

France

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Italy


Aix-en-Provence•

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insist that elk numbers are declining. The wolf isblamed. An anti-wolf orga-nization accuses the wolf of hurting the local tourismindus t ry—whi t ewa te rrafting companies, outfit-ters, and businesses like theClayton Mercantile.

Other people in Idaho,however, have greeted thereturn of the wolf withtolerance and even enthu-siasm. For example, someresidents near Challis wereoutraged by the discoverylast year of two wolveskilled by poison near the

provide solutions. One ofthe most common protec-tive measures against preda-tors is the pastou, the GreatPyrenean Mountain dog, ahuge white dog that isfiercely protective of sheepif raised among the flocks.Cabins in some of theremote pastures allow shep-herds to be near their flocks,and two-way radios keepthem in touch with theirfamilies. Salary increasesmay encourage young shep-herds to protect the flocksagainst predators. Aversiontechniques such as noise-makers are also being tried.

Some people are encour-aged by these efforts,complicated as they are.Others are less convinced.“One day,” said shepherdRoger Minard (as quoted inthe November 1, 1999 issueof The Christian ScienceMonitor), “the wolves willget used to my noisemaker.Then we will have to choosebetween an ecology of thewolf, which leaves no roomfor us, or an ecology of tran-shumance.” Such attitudesseem to be on the rise andhave brought the debate ofwolf-livestock coexistenceto the national level.

Some individuals arguethat the ecosystem of south-eastern France is impover-ished by the absence of a toppredator. Still others havepointed out the advantage ofwolves as a tourist attrac-tion. As is the case in much

of the rest of the world,work on the human dimen-sion in wildlife issues mustbecome a priority, if “la pistedu loup,” the track of thewolf, is to remain in France.

Neil Hutt is an educator andInternational Wolf CenterBoard member who lives in Purcelville, Virginia.

W O LV E S I N I D A H O

Riding theFence BetweenLove and Hateb y N e i l H u t t

“Idaho ranchers needwolves about as much as they need wildfires.These killing machines arekilling cows, killing sheepand killing a way of life.”

—anonymous rancher near Challis, Idaho

Taped on the displaywindow of the Clayton

Mercantile in Clayton,Idaho, is a “going out ofbusiness” sign. Beside ithangs a poster with thecarefully hand-letteredw o rd s , “ K i l l a l l t h egoddamned wolves and thepeople who put them here!”

Not far away, near thetown of Stanley, a rancherdemands the removal of thewolf pack he claims haskilled a prize calf and alsohis dog. At a meeting of the Idaho OutfittersAssociation, some members

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fringe of the vast FrankChurch River of No ReturnWilderness. Other citizenshold the view that wolvesare a tourist attraction, not a drawback.

For people wanting a trekby horseback or river raftinto wolf country, Idahocertainly offers rich possibil-i t ies . Typical of such adventurers are the eightvacationers dozing aroundthe dying embers of a camp-fire in the Frank Church.This group, led by a localoutfitter, has chosen central

Idaho because of itsbeauty and solitude—and because the wolvesare here. They knowtheir chances of seeingthe big predators in this steep and ruggedcountry are slim, butthey agree it wouldreally be something tohear the wolves howl,even just once. Thenight is quiet—crisp andclear, and windless.

Suddenly from the dark-ness beyond the circle oftrees where the mules andhorses are corralled, a longlow moan shivers on the night air, rises, thensuspends itself on a lastthread of sound beforechanging pitch and trailinginto silence. An answeringhowl floats like a low-voltage current in the darkspaces beyond the adjacentmeadow. A keening chorusjoins the two solos, full-throated and chesty andjoyful. The song swells andreverberates, then fadesaway. The stillness returns.

No one speaks until at lastone of the men says softly,“Nothing on this trip canbeat that.” The others nod.

The outfitter leading thetrip, a young man raised inChallis, is glad the group hasheard the wolves. It’s goodfor business, and besides, thesound thrills him, too. Butlike many people in Idaho,his feelings are ambivalent.In the fall, the outfitter will

bring elk hunters hereinstead of wolf enthusiasts.The hunting trips are themain source of the outfitter’sincome, and he thinks thereare fewer elk calves now thatthe wolves are back in theFrank Church.

The outfitter rememberswhen the wolves were rein-troduced to central Idaho.There wasn’t much fanfare,not like in Yellowstone. Theoutfitter’s neighbor, arancher near Challis, wasphilosophical. “I got nothin’against wolves,” he said, “aslong as they stay in theFrank Church and don’tbother my stock.”

The original wolves didstay. But the dispersers fromsucceeding generations areleaving the Frank Church,spreading out across Idahoand, according to somereports, traveling intoO r e g o n . C u r t M a c k ,recovery specialist with theNez Perce tribe (a NativeAmerican tribe in Idahomanaging wolf recovery forthe federal government)estimates the Idaho popula-

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“Ranchers are rightabout one thing: wolves

kill cattle and sheep.The answer is simple.

Cows should go, wolvesshould stay.”

—Susan Zakin as quoted in

The Idaho Statesman(July 21, 2000)

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tion has risen to between140 and 150 wolves in 15packs. “Where the wolfpopulation will level out,we don’t know yet,” Macksays, although he projects the number will stabilize at300 to 600.

The challenge to wolfrecovery in Idaho is notbiological but what Mackcalls the social carryingcapacity of wolves. “Wolvesare going to be limited by human tolerance, not by habitat or food,” agreed Roy Herberger, the retiringUSFWS Idaho Wolf RecoveryCoordinator.

The past year has provenboth men right. Depre-dations on livestock haveresulted in two highlypublicized and controver-sial lethal control actions.P ro p o s e d n o n - l e t h a lmethods such as shockaversion and the use ofr u b b e r b u l l e t s h a v eprovoked heated debate aswell. Some conservationistsand wolf advocates demandthat ranchers change theirgrazing practices to mini-mize depredation. Ranchersclaim, however, that suchmeasures are both ineffec-tive and too costly.

On top of all this is therecent proposal by the USFish and Wildlife Service toreclassify the gray wolf. AWolf Oversight Committeeestablished by the Idaholegislature has begun effortsthat would enable the state

to take over the manage-ment of wolves once theyare removed from theendangered species list.Their plan is still in draftform, but already there is afirestorm of controversyover the proposals.

I n t h e m i d s t o fcontentious argument,there is some optimism.Some conservationists thinkthe wolf’s future in Idaho is bright, pointing out thatgreat strides in publicacceptance of wolves havebeen made in the lastdecade. Wolf recovery is,however, a major socialchallenge, and, said RoyHerberger, “Social changetakes time. There’s a longway to go yet.”

Neil Hutt is an educator andInternational Wolf CenterBoard member who lives in Purcelville, Virginia.

W O LV E S I NA L A S K A

WolfAttacksAnalyzedb y S t e v e G r o o m s

Experts a ret r y i n g t o

make sense oftwo recent non-f a t a l w o l f a t t a c k s o nhumans. In April, a singlewolf appeared to stalk twochildren who were playingnear an isolated loggingcamp near Yakutat, Alaska.When the children fled, thewolf grabbed six-year-oldJohn Stenglein and bit himrepeatedly on the back, legs

Juneau

Alaska

•Yakutat

and buttocks. Several adultsdrove the wolf off.

Shortly afterward, thesame wolf was lured into theopen again and fatally shot.Tests proved the wolf didnot have rabies. Stengleinwas treated for puncturewounds at a local clinic.


The wolf, a healthy andapparently normal animalwearing a radio collar, hadbeen seen frequentlyaround the logging camp.Authorities could notconfirm rumors that theanimal had been fed byh u m a n s . T h i s w o l f ,however, was one that hadbehaved boldly aroundhumans several timesbefore the attack and hadlived near the loggingcamp for two years.

The incident is compli-cated by the presence of adog, a pet golden retriever.The wolf ’s aggressionmight have been triggeredby competitiveness withthe dog, although accountsof the attack suggest thewolf might have been

stalking the boy before the dog intervened byattacking the wolf.

In a separate incidenton July 5, a wolf attacked aman sleeping on a beachon Vargas Island, BritishColumbia. Scott Langevin,23, was airl i f ted to ahospital, where he received50 stitches to close a scalpwound. It was the firstconfirmed wolf attack inrecent B.C. history.

Langevin, part of akayaking expedition, wasawakened when a small,dark wolf began tugging onhis sleeping bag. He shoutedand kicked at the wolf,which then attacked him,biting his head and hand.His cries attracted partners,who drove the wolf away.

They used a marine radio tocall for the airlift.

Authorities shortlyafterward located two boldwolves and killed them.

The island, very popularwith kayaking campers insummer, has a populationof seven wolves. Area residents claim othergroups of kayakers hadb e e n p h o t o g r a p h e dfeeding hot dogs by handto wolves.

Weeks before the attack,t w o b o l d w o l v e sa p p ro a c h e d w i l d l i f ephotographer Jackie Windhnear the same beach. Whenshe failed to feed them, the wolves became aggres-sive and one ripped herpants. Windh left the areaconvinced it was “a matter

of time” before there wouldbe a serious incident.

According to Larry Dill,a college professor special-izing in animal behavior,“If (wolves) begin to seepeople as a source of food,they will start approachingpeople. If they are frus-trated when they…don’tget fed, then aggression isthe next natural step. It’s a real dumb thing foranybody to be feedingthem. Those wolves had to die because of somepeople’s stupidity.” ■

Steve Grooms is a writerliving in Saint Paul, whorecently revised his book,The Return of the Wolf.

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WOLVES KILL GUARD DOGS”

could be the title of a reportfrom the Tom Miner basin inMontana. There, wolves have killedfour livestock guard dogs this yearand last. The dogs may be attractingthe wolves to the area, so the rancherhas been keeping the guard dogsinside when the wolves come around.

TWENTY-FOUR ARCTIC

W O LV E S e n t e r t a i n e d 1 3members of an International WolfCenter expedition to Canada’sNorthwest Territories in August. Thegroup watched a pack of nine adultsand 15 pups at a rendezvous sitesome 200 mi l e s no r thea s t o fYellowknife daily for an entire week.Caribou, musk oxen, and arctichares, the main prey of the wolves,were also seen.

WOLF RECLASSIFICATION

in much of the 48 contiguousUnited States has been formallyproposed by the U. S. Fish andWildlife Service. Wolves in severals t a te s , inc lud ing Wiscons in ,Michigan, North Dakota, and SouthDakota, would be reclassified from“endangered” to “threatened.”Minnesota’s wolves have been classi-fied as threatened since 1978 (seehttp://midwest.fws.gov/wolf for thecomplete proposal; information canalso be found on the Center’s Website, at www.wolf.org; go to the“News and Events” link).

WOLF MANAGEMENT inMinnesota is the subject of a

lawsuit filed by several wolf advocacyorganizations. The groups claim thatthe wolf management plan passed bythe 2000 Minnesota Legislature wasimproperly attached to a funding bill

“

in Wisconsin and Michigan combinedfor five consecutive years) and nownumber more than double the goal.

THREE CURIOUS WOLVES

from Montana’s Spotted Bearpack watched fire trucks traveling upand down Bunker Creek Road in themidst of one of the West’s worstforest fire seasons. Two other wolveswere seen watching firefightersbattling the 18,000-acre MontureCreek fire, according to the U. S. Fishand Wildlife Service.

TWO WOLF BOOKS arecurrently in the news. L. David

Mech’s The Wolf: the Ecology andBehavior of An Endangered Species(published by University ofMinnesota Press), has now been inprint for 30 years, with more than100,000 in circulation. Mech’s TheArctic Wolf: Ten Years with the Pack(Voyageur Press) was recentlypublished in Hungarian. ■

(Left to right): Tristan Rebane, Dave Mech, Dean Cluff, and Jerry Sanders were part of anInternational Wolf Center expedition to Canada’s Northwest Territories in August, where theyobserved 24 arctic wolves and other wildlife.

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in violation of the state constitution.Decisions on two previous suits basedon the same claim resulted in deci-sions that differed from each other.

WOLF PACK LEADERSHIP

was the subject of an article by L. David Mech in the April-June2000 issue of The Canadian FieldNaturalist. Mech reported that duringsummer when pups are present in a wolf pack, the breeding male tends to initiate activities associated withforaging and travel, and the breedingfemale with pup care and protection.

WO L F D E L I S T I N G i nMinnesota may have received

a boost in June when the MinnesotaConservation Federation Board unanimously petitioned the U. S. Fishand Wildlife Service to immediatelybegin the process of removing thewolf in Minnesota, Wisconsin, andMichigan from the EndangeredSpecies List. The wolves there met thegovernment’s recovery goals in 1999(at least 1,250 in Minnesota and 100

one by one, carried all of her pups tothat site. Wolf 106 also moved herpups to 40’s den.

As far as we can tell, the four adultfemales are caring for 40’s pups,along with the pups born to 42 and106. We have seen a total of 21 pupsat that den!

Not long after 40’s death, weobserved 21 and 42 perform doublescent marks, strong evidence that 42 had moved up to the alpha femaleposition. None of the other femalesdisputed her promotion.

In the three months since 40 died,we have not seen any aggression by42 toward the other females. Unlikeher sister, 42 seems to rule with agentle touch. The fact that all of thefemales are working together to raisethe three litters of pups indicates thatthey are getting along very well.

During her reign as alpha female,40 acted like a tyrant and was quiteviolent with the other females in the pack. Her life and death could besummarized with the old phrase thatoften applies to human tyrants: If you live by the sword, you may die by the sword. ■

Rick McIntyre is a naturalist working as a field technician for theYellowstone Gray Wolf RestorationProject, of which Dr. Douglas Smith is the leader. Dr. Smith’s articles havebeen published in numerous journals,including ‘Journal of Mammalogy.’McIntyre is the author of two books on wolves.


www.wolf.orgVISIT

www.wolf.orgTODAY!

Death of a queenContinued from page 11

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meant the other Druid females werethe likely cause of her death.

We think that 40 followed 42 backto her den and probably attacked her again or her pups. In the past, 42had always submitted to her sister.This time, apparently somethingdifferent happened. Our best guess is that 42 fought back. That wouldhave been totally unexpected andlikely gave 42 a momentary advan-tage. Possibly 103 and 105 helpeda t t a c k 4 0 — h e r w o u n d s w e recertainly consistent with attacks frommultiple wolves. Wolf 40 managed to escape the scene, but her woundswere too great.

After her death, 21 continued totend the pups at 40’s den. A few dayslater, he traveled to 42’s den. Shefollowed him back to 40’s den, then,


reaction to her sister. This seemed toplacate 40 and she would end herattack. She never took the aggressionto the same level that she had against39 and 41.

In the spring of 1998, 40 dennedat the same site used the previousyear by her sisters and had two malepups. One pup was lost in July andthe other one later died afterdispersing.

In December of 1998, 40 and theother Druid females killed a two-year-old Rose Creek female in aborder area used by both packs. Thiswas the fourth wolf kill attributed to the Druid Pack.

Wolf 40 had a litter of six pups in spring of 1999 at the same den.Wolf 42 stayed away from 40’s den and localized a few miles to the west, near Rose Creek, behaving as if she was denning there. Onemorning, several observers saw 40 lead the other pack members to42’s site. As soon as she sighted 42, she chased and then severelyattacked her.

After the attack, 40 ran into astand of conifers were 42 had local-ized. Wolf 40 then came out and ledthe pack back to her den. Wolf 42later rejoined the pack and did notreturn to that forest. Did 42 have pups there? If so, did 40 kill them?We searched the area and found aden, but no remains of any pups. Wolf42 may have been going through afalse pregnancy that caused herto dig the den. In the end, we just didnot know what took place there.

In early February of 2000, all fiveDruid females, 40, 42, 103, 105, and 106, came into estrus. Weobserved 21 breed 40, 42, and 106and assumed he also mated with 103 and 105. When he matedwith 42 and 106, 40 was nearby butdid not intervene. However, in thedays and weeks after 42 was bred, 40 repeatedly attacked her again forno apparent reason.

By late March, 42 was localized in a forested area south of RoseCreek, about four miles west of 40’sden. Wolf 42’s daughter (105) andniece (103) joined her there and allthree stayed away from 40 and herden. The other female, 106, dennedabout three miles east of 40’s den.

Wolf 21 primarily stayed with 40at her den, but did make regular visitsto 42’s den and possibly to 106’s den.Wolf 40 briefly visited 42’s den site at least twice, without incident.

On May 1, we began to see pups at 42’s den—at least five blacks and one gray. During that first week ofMay, behavior patterns indicated that 40 and 106 probably also hadpups at their dens.

On the evening of May 7, 42 and 105 left their den and traveled east toward Chalcedony Creek on ahunt. Wolf 103 stayed behind at the den site,probab ly towatch over thepups.

At about thesame time, 40lef t her den,and with 21,a l s o h e a d e dt o w a r dC h a l c e d o n yCreek. The twosubgroups metand 40 immedi-ately attacked42, much moreseverely thanusual. Wolf 42rolled on her back and accepted thebites. When 40 was finished, she didthe same to 105.

After that, all four wolves movedwest toward 42’s den. By that time, itwas too dark for further observations.

We found 40 badly wounded thenext morning. Prior to her death, wechecked for signals from non-Druidwolves. There were no other radio-collared wolves in the area. That

continued on page 26

Kerry Murphy examines Wolf 40 after herdeath. Murphy is a wildlife biologist atYellowstone National Park.

Dou

glas

Sm

ith


What names they had! They were calledsuch things as the Three-LeggedScoundrel, Lobo the Giant Killer

Wolf of the North, the Phantom Wolf of Big Salt Wash, Badlands Billy, and theWerewolf of Nut Lake. Then there were all the“toe wolves”: Old Three Toes, Old Two Toesand—you guessed it—Old One Toe. If thesenames sound a bit romantic, they were prob-ably meant to.

Throughout history, a few wolves havemanaged to escape the obscurity typical oftheir kind and have acquired fame and aname. At least 59 North American wolvesbecame famous enough to be labeled with aname. With a few exceptions, most of thesewolves with names were among the very lastsurvivors of the great campaign to extirpatewolves from the Great Plains in the 1920’s.

When times were lean, “outlaw” wolves hunted livestock.

LEGENDSOF THE

“OUTLAW”WOLVES

b y S T E V E G R O O M S


These were not ordinary wolves.These were the ghostlike wolves thatno hunter or trapper could defeat,and some of the frustrated menpursuing them believed they hadsupernatural abilities. Because eachof these “outlaw” wolves wasresponsible for destroying greatnumbers of livestock, they wereregarded as a menace to society,much like the bank robbers andgunslingers of the Old West.

Like human outlaws, these wolvessometimes carried rewards on theirheads and were hunted relentlesslyuntil finally destroyed. The skillfula n d e n t e r p r i s i n g m e n w h otriumphed over a famous renegadewolf might acquire the sort of noto-riety associated with someone likePat Garrett when he killed Billy theKid, or Frank Hamer when he endedthe careers of Bonnie and Clyde.

When a notorious old cattle killerwas finally destroyed, its demisewould be celebrated in newspaperstories all over the region. The storieswould note with approval that thedeath of this wolf made the worldsafer for livestock.

Yet the disappearance of the lastand most famous wolves oftenseemed symbolically linked to thepassing of all that had been wild and exciting in the region. Somestories about the deaths of old outlawwolves carried a note of regret, as if the writer understood that a worldwithout these wolves would be a lessinteresting place.

Some of the men who triumphedover famous wolves reflected thesame ambivalence. Consider thereflections of Earl Neill, the man who shot the White Wolf of theJudith Basin:

And do you know, I almost didn’tshoot. It was the hardest thing I think I ever did….I thought swiftly that thesewere the hills over which he hadhunted. I knew that it was the cruelnature of the wilderness—the fight for survival of the fittest—that made him the ferocious hunter that he was. I thought of all the men that had hunted him, of how his fame had goneout all over the country, and I almostdidn’t shoot.

An even odder confrontationended the career of Rags the Digger.Rags was named for his shaggy coatand amazing ability to discover trapsand dig them up. He seemed to be

flaunting his contempt for the trappers pursuing him. Trapper BillCaywood finally derived a way ofusing that quirky habit to his advan-tage, luring Rags into a setup thatclamped two big traps on him. Ragsdragged the traps painfully throughheavy brush, leaving a trail thatimpressed Caywood with the courageof the old wolf.

When Caywood got off his horseto confront Rags, the wolf astonishedhim by walking toward him.Caywood’s rifle failed to fire twice.Caywood wondered if the wolf wasgoing to attack him, then wondered if Rags might be seeking his help in getting the traps off. Rags keptlimping closer. The rifle fired on thethird try, and Rags died with hismuzzle almost touching Caywood’sboot. Stroking the pelt of the shaggywolf he’d pursued for months,Caywood said, “You poor, lonely oldmurdering devil!”

I l l u s t r a t i o n s b y J O A N O U L L E T T E

This drawing depicts a “wolfer” around 1900 with his hunting dogs. Men who hunted wolves in this time period were lured by a bounty equivalent to two year’s salary.


The many legends passed downabout different outlaw wolves aresurprisingly similar. At least four q u a l i t i e s w e r ecommonly ascribed tothese wolves withnames. Above all, theyseemed exceptionallywary, intelligent, andelusive. They seemed tohave paranormal powersfor evading theirhunters. Lured by abounty equivalent totwo year’s salary, count-less cowboys and“wolfers” pursued theWhite Wolf of theJudith Basin withoutsuccess. One manpursued the Custer Wolf four yearsbefore giving up. Another gave upafter five years.

Many of these wolves wereterribly destructive, engaging in what we now call “surplus killing.”Livestock losses ascribed to theJudith Basin Wolf totaled a third of a million dollars (in today’s dollars).A wolf named Blanca and a packmember reportedly killed 250 sheepin a single night. Some renegadesmaimed livestock they did not kill,for example, by biting off part of their tail (called “bobtailing”). Someranchers claimed they were drivenout of the livestock business by thedepredations of famous wolves.

Although wolves are one of themost social species known, mostoutlaws were loners. Many were alonesimply because the rest of their kindhad been wiped out, but othersseemed to live alone by choice. Oneodd exception was the Custer Wolf.After his family was destroyed, theCuster Wolf never again associatedwith wolves, but for some time ranwith a pair of coyotes, apparently usingthem as part of his defense system.

The famous wolves often rangedover great distances. Several werethought to have roamed territories

comprising severalhundred square miles.This made them lessp r e d i c t a b l e a n dharder to find.

M o s t o u t l a wwolves were physi-cally distinctive. Manyhad missing toes,having lost them totraps. Most werereputed to be excep-t ional ly b ig , but when a notorious wolfwas killed, it oftenturned out to beu n g l a m o r o u s l y

average. A remarkable number ofoutlaw wolves were white, possiblybecause so many of them were so old.The infamous Judith Basin wolf, a gaunt and hoary old animal whenkilled, was estimated to be 18 yearsold. Ranchers claimed Old Whitey of Bear Springs, Mesa depredated aregion of Colorado for 15 years. In an age when it was almost a miraclefor any wolf to escape death, outlawwolves often lived longer thannormal wolves.

Some of these unusual wolvesbecame famous in other ways. Theden of Montana’s Snowdrift and Lady

Snowdrift was raided, and the pupswere brought up in captivity. Twowere tra ined to perform inHollywood movies. Another becamethe camp mascot for Jack Dempsey ashe prepared for a heavyweight championship fight.

A white wolf trapped as a pup onthe ranch of William “Buffalo Bill”Cody was raised as a pet. It laterescaped and became, according to a newspaper report, “a great whitemarauder” for ten years. When it was eventually killed, this wolf worethe collar the old buffalo hunter hadplaced on his neck.

Wolves are among the most inter-esting and exciting animals on earth,and these famous old “outlaws” weresome of the most fascinating wolvesever to have lived. But what is themodern student of wolves to make of these old legends, many of whichseem improbable or downright unbelievable? To find out, see part IIof this story in the next issue ofInternational Wolf. ■

Steve Grooms is a writer living inSaint Paul, who recently revised his book, The Return of the Wolf.

Some stories about the deaths

of old outlawwolves carried

a note of regret...

Many of the outlaw wolves eventually became loners because the rest of their kind had been wiped out.

begged from me, rolled over in submission.

July 2 – Malik is begin-ning to explore on his own,without the support of hisbrother. Malik seems to bemore outgoing at this time.

July 3 – Headed to audi-torium shortly after 11:00.Pups knew “the routine” and seemed eager to go infor the presentations.

July 4 – Malik awakens,notes deer hide we’d placed in pen earlier, and scent-rollsfor the first time. Pups oblivious to the noise of fireworks [from some localcelebration]!

July 5 – Shadow observedurinating several times.Could be a urinary tractinfection. Got a sample and will take to vet.

July 6 – Dominancedisplay by Malik, using head and paw over Shadow’sshoulder as Shadow cheweda rawhide. Dominancedisplay by Shadow – very high raised tail whileplaying with his water bowland then with other items.

Additional Nanny Notes can be found on our website, at www.wolf.org; visit our Pup Page. ■

Nancy Weiss holds Shadow. Weiss was one of the first nanniesto transition Shadow and Malikinto our resident pack in Ely.

June 30, 2000 – Iarrive and meet Lori, who’shandling deer haunches forthe adults. Lori takes me intothe pups’ nighttime pen. Wesit down and both pups greetLori, then me. Pups verycomfortable in my presence.They play, growls and gruntspunctuating their actions.They watch adults in adja-cent pen with great interest.

July 1 – Sleeping styles –Malik in deep sleep, Shadowmore attentive. Shadow woke up a few times, food-

INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER

Notes From Home

The International WolfCenter has beenblessed with many

wonderful volunteers, andNancy Weiss is no excep-tion. Weiss was the first ofthe volunteer nannies tohelp transition our newarctic wolf pups, Malik andShadow, into their new lives at the Center in Ely,where they interacted withour resident wolves for the first time.

Weiss is a practitioner of TTouch™, a system of physical exercises andbodywork used to alleviatestress-related behavioralproblems. Wolf CuratorLori Schmidt testified, “Wesaw dramatic examples ofTTouch™ success, firstwhen a small, flailing childin the audience acted like a wounded prey species,and then when a tornadowarning brought the pupsinside without the neces-sary crowd control.” In bothinstances, one or both pupsappeared anxious and over-stimulated, and TTouch™

helped calm them.“Success during this

critical bonding period willhave long-term benefits,”added Schmidt. “Nancy can certainly be proud toknow that she was an

important component tothat successful beginning.”We extend our most sincerethanks to all the nannieswho donated a week caringfor Malik and Shadow.

Here is a glimpse ofWeiss’ week interactingwith the pups and with LoriSchmidt, our wolf curator,excerpted from a journalfilled with nearly 50 pagesof observations:

Kyle

Alle

n

Journal of a Wolf Pup Nanny



Journey by Horseback Through Wolf Habitat Deep in theHeart of the Idaho Wilderness

•One night hotel stay, with meals

•Base camp in the wilderness with canvas cooktent and individual pop-up tents to sleep in for privacy.

•Fully prepared home cooked meals

•Trips begin in mid-July and end in late August

Mile High Outfitters of Idaho, Inc.P.O. Box 1189, Challis, Idaho 83226(208) [email protected] our webpage at

www.milehighwolf.com

Lakota, and MacKenzie,our resident wolves born in 1993, to form an ambas-sador pack of five wolves(Andrea Lorek Strauss’article on page 4, outlinesthe event in detail).

O n e o f t h e m o s tcommon questions askedby Center visitors related tothe differences between the

Tracking the Pack

two subspecies of the graywolf: the arctic subspeciesrepresented by our newestpups, and the Great Plainssubspecies represented byour 7-year-old adults. Toanswer that question, wolfcare staff began investi-gating the physical andbehavioral developments ofboth litters.

Arctic subspecies gener-ally have a later breedingcycle and whelping patternsince warm spring weatherin the Arctic arrives laterthan in the Great Plains.Both subspecies are darkwhen born, most likely anadaptation to blend in withthe earth tones of the den.Both are also born blind,deaf, and helpless, andweigh approximately apound at birth.

It was generally believedthat arctic subspecies growfaster than the Great Plainssubspecies due to theshorter summers, but indi-vidual growth rate varieswith food availability in thewild and the health andcondition of the adultsduring the breeding season.Even in a captive environ-ment, there are far too manyvariables affecting growthrates to truly compare thedata, including type offormulas and solid food,time of weaning, number ofpups in a litter, method offeeding, etc.

If you didn’t make a tripto the International WolfCenter this summer,

you missed an excitingopportunity to meet theCenter’s newest membersof the ambassador pack,Shadow and Malik, twoarctic wolf pups born inApril. In August, Shadowand Malik joined Lucas,

Where the Great Plains Meets the Arctic:A Comparison of Two Different Generationsb y L o r i J . S c h m i d t

Dia

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lenn

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MacKenzie, Lucas, and Lakota as pups demonstrate the many colors ofwolves as they mature, including gray, tan, cream, and black. MacKenzieretained her black coloring.

It appears that bothsubspecies had a significantweight gain of 9.5 poundsbetween week 7 and week 9.

The most obvious differ-ences relate to the pelage or hair coloration of thepups as they grow intoadulthood. While bothsubspecies are born dark,the Great Plains subspecieshas several color phases,including gray, tan, cream

This chart compares weights between the two litters:

Arctic Great PlainsAGE IN WEEKS (2000 Litter) (1993 Litter)

Weight in Pounds Weight in Pounds

3–4 weeks 4.13 – 6.35 3.25 – 7.0

5–7 weeks 8.6 – 14.0 7.5 – 14.5

7–9 weeks 14.0 – 23.5 12.0 – 21.5

9–11 weeks 23.5 – 27.0 18.0 – 28.0

(Weights listed as a range of smallest pup to largest pup for the week)

*At 12.5 weeks of age, Malik weighed 32 pounds and Shadow weighed 32.5.

colored, and black. Thearctic subspecies is almostexclusively dominated bythe white color phase, mostlikely an adaptation for its life in an environmentcovered by snow tenmonths of the year. ■

Lori Schmidt is the wolfcurator at the Center in Ely, MN.

Lynn

and

Don

na R

oger

sMalik (to left) and Shadow demonstrate how arctic wolves turn quicklyfrom their dark birth coat to their white adult coat. Here, Shadow (trueto his name) has darker markings than Malik, including a darker faceand back.

You can help make the seasonbrighter for wolves too with ayear-end gift to the InternationalWolf Center.

Your donation of cash, stocksor other assets will support wolfsurvival through educationprograms that enlighten peopleabout wolves, wolf recovery andwolf reintroduction programs –and may provide you with auseful tax deduction.

Your help will improve thewolf’s prospects for the newyear and years to come.

To make a donation, pleasecall 1-800-ELY-WOLF ext. 25,visit www.wolf.org or sendyour donation directly to us at:International Wolf Center,1396 Hwy 169, Ely, MN 55731.

TEACHING THE WORLD ABOUT WOLVES.


Major Donors Barbara Apgar

Dorothy Blair

Julia Brown

Cleveland Chapter of the AmericanAssociation of Zoo Keepers

Jay Cowles

Charles Heck

Jack Heck

Dave Mech

Dan Middaugh

Candy Reynolds

Deborah Reynolds

Theodore & Barbara Spaulding

Tracy A. Weeks Fund of the St. Paul Foundation

John Virr

Carola Weil

Honorary In Honor Of Brianna Garbo

Suzanne & Robert Gunn

Nancy Heine

Dory Janklow

Shirley Marblestone

Shaun McCarthy

Susan Prevost

Harvey & Cynthia Teplitsky

In Honor Of Nancy Moersch Katherine Weerts

In Honor Of TaniaSchickentanz’ & KevinNasman’s Wedding Melissa Rode

In Celebration of Jaci Zweig The Howard HughesCorporation

MemorialsIn Memory Of Ben Krasinski Stanley Krasinski

In Memory Of Enar Strid Marilyn AndersonPatrick AshwoodKaren BodinDonald & Susan Burt Dina CarterGeneva DullumRoy & Donna Eldred John & Eileen Freeman Evelyn GoplinGustavus Ii AdolphusSocietyChris & AudreyHenningsonMargaret HostadDeloris LarsenSandra Mae LarsonMerle & Rosalie Nelson Marilyn OdefeyMaja OlsonLenore PatneaudeRuth PetersonAlice PrinzingRoy RanumViolet RennerfeldtFrederick & Dorothy Rose

Scott & JocelynSindelarGlenn StridJerry & Jill Tell

In Memory Of Gerald Konetshny Jan & Bill Anderson Alyson Beucler

In Memory Of Harry Henderson, Jr. Carl Acuff & Jan Wahl Francis & Rita Kingery Caroline Sedlacek &Robert Stoddard

In Memory Of Jan Volkman Animal Ark Kim Berkshire-Miller

In Memory Of Paul “Kirk” Principe Alan GogginsCharlene Louie

In Memory Of Therese“Pidge” HodowanicMr. & Mrs. JohnArtisensiRobert & KathyArtisensiMs. Cheryl BardwellRichard & Linda BlissLynn & Fred BonesJohn & Judith YatesBorgerMr. & Mrs. MorleyCarlsonJulieann CoudronStan & Bunny DavisJames & Shirley DunnRuth ElwellJohn & NormaFinnegan, Sr

J Diann GoettenJonathan Jasper &Jenny Walker JasperMary JonesThomas & Susan JuddTom & BethKemmetmuellerMr. David KlapprichPeg KlingelMichael & Barbara LhotkaAgnes LozarFrank Lozar & Elaine GrovumDuane MarschallWill & Randy MayerDavid McDonald &Mary StuckyDick & Kathy OfstedalDon, Pat & Anne PilarskiRichard & Eva StevensJohn Suhr & Margo GuianeDave & BeverlyVoytovichTom & Mary WimillerLorraine Wright

Matching GiftsCNA Foundation

Citicorp

The Chase ManhattanFoundation

IBM InternationalFoundation

Liz ClaiborneFoundation

General MillsFoundation

Monsanto Fund

Philip MorrisCompanies, Inc.

The St. PaulCompanies, Inc.Foundation

US West Foundation

West Group

Wolf FoodFreezerDonationRuth Agar

Keilian Clink

Mary Sue Comfort

Richard Edlich &Patricia Cooper

Eric Erickson

Paul Gustad

Joann Hale

Scott Hase

Dean Johnson

Lucille Johnson

Robert Johnson

David Juncker

Kathleen Kilpatrick

Colleen Krebs

Dan & Linda Lemke

Linda Monahan

Fred Putnam

Patricia Schmid

Michael Shannon

Kristin Summerwill

Jana & RobertUnderwood

Carole Warner Bates

THE KIANAMEMORIAL FUND

INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER

Contributors

Thank You!

Part of me keeps thinking that the wolf world is due for a long, restful lull when our existence and that of the wolves becomes routine and

any news is old news. But as this issue will demonstrate, such a lullis nowhere in sight. Established and re-established wolf populations continueto challenge our thinking as to what is convention in the wolf world.

When it comes to wolves and humans, the landscape is in a constant state of flux. As the state of Minnesota settles into the mindset that the wolf will be delisted in the near future, and that its management bill will be the basis for

a management plan, several local and nationalorganizations have announced a lawsuit on thebasis of the unconstitutionality of the state’slegislative process. And there are indicationsthat the Fish and Wildlife Service’s intent toreclassify the wolf nationwide will run intostrong opposition based in part on the uncer-tainties of Minnesota’s status.

Despite statistical insignificance, wolf attackson humans always get strong newspaper playand become fodder for those who are against

wolves. Regrettably, headlines associated with the story reinforce so many ofthe stereotypes we try to fight each and every day. Two recent incidents arecovered in detail in this issue, minus the provocative headlines.

Our fascination and admiration of the wolf becomes quite clear when youread the incredible story by Rick McIntyre and Doug Smith. The harsh, complexrealities of wolf society are portrayed in this first-hand account by these notable wolf researchers.

We recently experienced some wolf dramas of our own with the introduction of two arctic wolf pups to our resident pack of three seven-year oldgray wolves in early August. The first encounter between the pups and our resident pack gave us all some anxious moments as we watched for any signsof aggression. We were rewarded by the most wonderful sight: adults and pupsmingling in exuberant greetings, licking, smelling, whining, romping, rolling,and an assortment of other canine behaviors.

As we head toward a New Year, we can’t help but express our excitementover the new teaching opportunities that are available to us with our newlyexpanded pack in Ely. Several other exciting developments are in the formativestages and we look forward to sharing them with you as they unfold. ■

From the Executive DirectorINTERNATIONAL

WOLF CENTER

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Nancy jo TubbsChair

Dr. L. David MechVice Chair

Dr. Rolf O. PetersonSecretary

Paul B. AndersonTreasurer

Dr. Larry D. Anderson

Phillip DeWitt

Thomas T. Dwight

Nancy Gibson

Helene Grimaud

Cornelia Hutt

Dr. Robert Laud

Mike Phillips

Dr. Robert Ream

Paul Schurke

Teri Williams

Pat Woodworth

MISSION

The International WolfCenter supports the

survival of the wolf aroundthe world by teaching

about its life, its associationwith other species and its

dynamic relationships to humans.

Educational services and informational

resources are available at:

1396 Highway 169Ely, MN 55731-8129, USA

1-800-ELY-WOLF1-218-365-4695

e-mail address:[email protected]

Web site: http://www.wolf.org

Establishedand re-estab-lished wolfpopulationscontinue tochallenge ourthinking...


Walter Medwid


Hea

ther

Wie

czor

ek

Malik greets Lucas. Lucas’ tender responseto Malik demonstrates how well the introduction went in Ely this summer.

Arctic Wolf Pups Make Smooth

The morning of August 9, 2000 was a historic one

for the International Wolf Center, when our two

arctic wolf pups were introduced to our existing pack

of adult wolves at the Center in Ely. Although the

pups and adults had seen, smelled, and licked each

other through the fence for six weeks, this was their

first full-contact meeting!


This summer, the International WolfCenter undertook the socializationof arctic wolf pups for the purpose

of expanding our educational effective-ness about wolves around the world. Thetwo male pups were born at a privatebreeder’s facility on May 8, raised by BoardMember Nancy Gibson for the first seven-and-a-half weeks of their life, and thenbrought to the Center in Ely. A series ofpup nannies helped Lori Schmidt, ourwolf curator, continue their socialization

b y A N D R E A L O R E K S T R A U S S

process until the bond between the pupsand humans was cemented.

The pup introduction to the adults wascarefully planned to avoid shifting thehierarchy dynamics of the existing pack.While the pups were in their overnightholding pen, Lakota and Lucas were eachdirected into separate holding areas. Thepups’ holding pen was then opened to themain enclosure, where they ventured outto explore and greet our alpha femalewolf, seven-year-old MacKenzie.

First encounter marked

by playful interaction.

Nan

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Lucas, Lakota, and Malik explorethe enclosure in single file.

Transition Into Center’s Pack


The pups ran around, alternatelyexploring and greeting MacKenzie bylicking her muzzle and smelling her.MacKenzie responded well to thepups, smelling them and followingthem as they explored. After about 15minutes, Lucas, our alpha male, waslet out of his enclosure, and he joinedthe smelling/licking/chasing romp.The pups continued to explore thenew sights and smells of the mainenclosure. When Lakota was releasedfrom her pen, she investigated the

Alpha male Lucas displays an unusualbehavior for a male wolf, putting hismouth around Shadow’s torso as if hewants to pick him up!Sh

erry

Jok

inen

pup enclosure at length beforegreeting the pups, apparentlysearching for food scraps.

As the next few hours unfolded,the interactions among the animalsranged from complete submission of the pups to the adults, to defensivesnaps from the pups to the adults. The pups are learning their newsubordinate role in the pack structure. At times, the pups wereobserved climbing over MacKenziewhile she rested, muzzle mouthing

Thank You, Nancy Gibson!!

The International Wolf Centerextends its sincerest thanks toBoard Member Nancy Gibson,

who nurtured and cared forMalik and Shadow, our twonew arctic wolves, during

the first weeks of their lives.Nancy’s commitment, patience,and hard work has translated

into two healthy, thrivingwolves who have a new family

and can help us extend oureducational outreach evenfurther. Thanks, Nancy!

clock for the following ten days toensure complete acceptance andtolerance of each other.

Important to the success of thepups’ acclimation phase were theBehavioral Observation Teams, whodonated their time to observe thepups and document their interac-tions. This surveillance was a preventive measure allowing forinstant intervention should any problems arise.

During this time, Malik adaptedeasily to the new setting. He andLucas developed a strong bond andthey are often seen together. Shadowwas more reserved and easily intimi-dated by growling and other domi-nant behavior from the adults, and would stand apart from the otherwolves and seek out human contact whenever available. We expected thepups to take at least a few days to


each of the adults, racing through thegrass in the enclosure, and gettingmouthed around the torso by theadults. Board Member Dave Mechcommented that it seemed like Lucaswas using his mouth to attempt topick Shadow up by the torso, abehavior he had not observed in adultmales before. Lucas’ mouth fit nearlyall the way around Shadow’s torso!

Other behavior observed includedactive submission/roll over behaviorby Malik to all of the adults; occasional submission by Shadow to the adults; Malik dominatingShadow; Shadow snapping at Lucaswith Lucas jumping away; andgeneral romping and exploring.Shadow’s snapping could have beenattributed to his insecurity with theadults, but it could also be related tothe defense of a bone he had found in the enclosure. Wolf care staff anticipated this sort of pup behaviorwhile the young ones establish theirplace in the pack structure.

The social dynamics of the newfivesome were watched around-the-

develop relationships with the adultwolves, having been raised byhumans. By day eight, the entire pack was observed playing andhowling together, a good sign of theircomfort level with each other.

Wolf care staff including LoriSchmidt, Nancy Gibson, Dave Mech,and former Wolf Curator JaniceTempleton, were all pleased with theease of the introduction and optimistic that things will continueto go well. The pups’ development is featured on the Center’s Web site(www.wolf.org), including BehavioralObservation Notes that detail specific interactions between thepups and adults. ■

Andrea Lorek Strauss is the EducationCoordinator at the International WolfCenter in Ely, MN.

Alpha female Mackenzie shelters Malik and Shadow during their first hours in the enclosure.Above left: Mackenzie (right) displays the motherly attitude she's taken toward the pups since theywere introduced to the pack.

Sher

ry J

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Nan

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Malik settles in.


We found her near the parkroad, disoriented andbleeding, on the morning

of May 8, 2000. She was known aswolf 40 and had been the undisputedalpha female of the Druid Peak Packfor the last four years. Blood seepedfrom numerous bites on her hide.One wound on the back of her neckwas especially deep. The injuries,blood loss, and shock were too muchfor 40, and her life slipped away.

The necropsy report confirmedwhat we suspected: the bite markshad been made by other wolves. In life, 40 seemed indestructible. Shewas a fierce defender of her pack, her territory, and especially of heralpha status. During the years shedominated her pack, the Druidwolves had attacked and killed anumber of neighboring wolves.Which wolves could have killed her?

To answer that question, welooked back at the history of 40 andher pack.

The founding members of theDruid Peak pack were caught inBritish Columbia in January of 1996by the US Fish & Wildlife Serviceand sent south to YellowstoneNational Park following thelengthy political process of wolfreintroduction. The previous year,wolves had been captured inAlberta. The Druid wolves werepart of a second batch of reintro-duced wolves to Yellowstone.

The original Druid wolvesincluded 39, an adult female, and herthree female pups: 40, 41, and 42. A big, unrelated male, 38, was addedto the group. All five wolves wereplaced in the Rose Creek acclimation

b y R I C K M C I N T Y R E

a n d D O U G L A S S M I T H

Wolf 42 howls. Wolf 42 was attacked by Wolf 40 the evening before 40’s death. Researchersspeculate that 42 finally fought back after repeatedly submitting to 40 during previous attacksand killed 40 with the aid of several other Druid Peak pack females. Wolf 42 then became theundisputed alpha female of the Druid Peak pack.D

ave

Bopp

yearlings. Soon it became obviouswhich wolf had taken over the alphafemale vacancy. Wolf 40 was makingdouble scent marks with 38. Her twosisters (41 and 42) seemed to accept40’s promotion without incident.

In February of 1997, all threefemale yearlings came into estrus and were bred by 38. Wolf 41 and 42 gave birth to a combined total of five pups at a den surprisinglyclose to the road. Wolf 40 had nosurviving pups that year.

Wolf 39 returned to the pack that

spring and served as the primarybabysitter for the pups. She wasmuch larger than 40, but deferred toher as the unchallenged alpha female.As the months went by, 39 becamethe omega female, the lowest rankingof the four females.


21 M From neighboringRose Creek pack; joinedDruid pack in December1997 after 38 M was shot.

38 M From Canada in1996; alpha male, intro-duced to females 39, 40,41 and 42 in holdingpen; shot illegally outsideYellowstone in fall 1997.

39 F From Canada in1996; original alphafemale and mother of 40,41, and 42; dispersed insummer 1996, rejoined

pack in spring 1997, and dispersed again in fall 1997.

40 F 1995 pup fromCanada caught in 1996;daughter of 39 and sisterto 41 and 42.

41 F 1995 pup fromCanada caught in 1996;daughter of 39 and sisterto 40 and 42; eventuallydispersed.

42 F 1995 pup fromCanada caught in 1996;daughter of 39 and sisterto 40 and 41.

103 F Pup born in 1997 to 41 or 42.



Yellowstone mutiny ends tyrannical ruleover Druid Pack

The Players: Druid Peak Pack Members and StatusF = Female; M = Male

pen in the Lamar Valley. The pack leftthe pen in April of 1996 and exploredthe surrounding country. The LamarValley is the winter range forthousands of elk and the Druidwolves quickly recognized the area asquality habitat.

In addition to the elk, the Druidwolves found something else in thevalley. In early May of 1996, they ran into the denning Crystal CreekPack—one of the three packsreleased in 1995. No one witnessedthe encounter, but we do know theoutcome: the Druid wolves killed theCrystal Creek alpha male and injuredthe alpha female. No pups survived.The remaining two Crystal wolvesabandoned the northern part of theirterritory to the Druid Pack, shiftedsouth, and used Pelican Valley as thecore of their home range.

In mid-June, the Druid wolvestraveled west and encountered theRose Creek Pack, another one of the1995 reintroduced packs. Wolf 38 led the charge at the rival wolves. Butthe other pack was larger, and wolf 8, the Rose Creek alpha male (the son of the deceased Crystal Creekalpha male) decisively defeated 38.

The Druid wolves fled the areaafter the fight. The next day, wereceived a mortality signal from amale Rose Creek yearling. He hadmade the mistake of chasing after theDruid Pack by himself. Once he was far enough away from his ownpack, the Druid wolves must haveturned around and killed him.

In early summer of 1996, 39dispersed and wandered far and widethroughout the region. That left the alpha male 38 and three female

The Rose Creek Pack had threelitters in separate locations that year.One of those dens was located on theborder of the Druid territory. It hadbeen dug by 19, a low ranking femalein the pack. The other pack membersdid not seem to visit her or assist herwith her four-pup litter.

Then we got a mortality signalfrom 19. When we found her, it was clear that 19 had been killed byother wolves. The Druid wolves werein that area around that time andwere considered the prime suspects.

Note: Other members were present in the Druid Peak pack at various

times but have not been included here to help clarify the main story.

All four pups were found dead in theden from lack of food and water.

That fall, the Druid Pack spentmost of their time at the ChalcedonyCreek Rendezvous Site, an openmeadow near the road offering a clearview of the wolves.

We began to see a high level ofaggressiveness directed at 39 and 41by 40. She would chase and attackbo th f ema le s whenever theyapproached the pack. Wolf 42 usuallyassisted 40 when she attacked thosefemales. Eventually 39 and 41 left the pack. Wolf 41 later paired offwith a young Rose Creek male and 39was illegally shot outside the park.

In November of 1997, there werefive females in the Druid Pack: twoadults (40 and 42) and three pups:103, 105, and 106.

Later in the fall, the packtemporarily left the park and 38 wasillegally shot. The surviving wolvesreturned to the Lamar Valley, the core of their territory, and regrouped.

A few days later, a strangerappeared in the middle of Druid territory—it was 21, a male from therival Rose Creek Pack. He sensed anopportunity and took full advantageof it. After 21 displayed a friendlymanner, the Druid wolves acceptedhim into their pack as the new alpha male.

As the months went by, 40 becameincreasingly aggressive toward 42.She would attack her without anyobvious provocation. Each time thathappened, 42 would lie on her sideor back and display a submissive


Arrows point to areas of the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone where the dramasurrounding Wolf 40’s death took place.Arrows and notes by Douglas Smith.

An aerial shot of the Druid Peak pack shows them resting in the snow covered Lamar Valley. Dou

glas

Sm

ith


Have you ever wanted to travelto the land of icebergs andarctic wolves? Imagine your

breath frosting the air and snowcrunching under foot. In the HighArctic, temperatures reach -70 degreesFahrenheit during five months ofaround-the-clock winter darkness.What would you wear to stay warm?

Let the arctic wolf be your guide.This fur-covered hunter has adaptedto thrive in winter in the North. Arcticwolves live the farthest north of allgray wolves. Compared to theircousins to the south, these whitewolves have slightly rounded ears andshorter legs and muzzle. They grow to 100 pounds and larger. Thisconcentrated body mass helpsthem to keep warm.

The wolf’s coat has twolayers. Underneath is a soft, dense fine-haired fur that holds heat closeto the body in winter.Longer, coarser guardhairs offer outer protec-tion that sheds waterand holds in heat.

Imagine going barefoot in thesnow. Brrrr! Thank goodness thewolf has thick, padded toes with furbetween them. A unique blood circu-lation system in its legs and feet alsohelps keep the wolf warm. Deepinside the wolf’s legs, arteries andveins run close together so that thecool blood returning from the feet is warmed by blood coming from theheart. Arteries also carry warm bloodinto the foot pad to keep the footfrom freezing.

Using the wolf as yourg u ide , how w ou ld

you dress for freezingweather? Think

about how yourbody works.

The first thing sacrificed when ourbody temperature starts to drop isour skin. Blood stops flowing to theskin and goes to the internal organsand brain — better protect yourfingers and toes, the tips of your earsand your nose, too! Otherwise, youcould lose them to frostbite.

How many layers will you wear tocover your chest and back? Animals,including humans, need to keep thebody core toasty. The chest andabdomen contain vital organs—theheart, liver, kidneys and lungs.

The body pumps warm blood tothe head. But heat rises. You couldlose a lot of body heat if you don’thold it in. What sort of head gear willyou wear?

Since humans don’t have built-infur coats and hats, we have to rely onour smarts and be prepared. Make alist of all the clothing you would packto survive in the Arctic. ■

Packing for the Arcticb y N a n c y j o T u b b s

Lynn

and

Don

na R

oger

s

Paul

Sch

urke

When they sleep, wolves curl up tight, leaving little body surfaceexposed to the icy air and ground.

Doug Hall of Cincinnati wearslots of layers during a 1999Wintergreen expedition to theNorth Pole. Wolves’ coats havetheir own layers, keeping themwarm inside and shedding moisture on the outside.

Wolves and Tourismb y S c o t t M c M i l l i o n


tourists to them, let them snappictures, and maybe teach themsomething along the way.

Steve Braun, of Bozeman, runsYellowstone /Glacier Adventures,which specializes in bringing peoplefrom Japan to the area. He said thereintroduction of wolves has drasti-cally increased his business andspread a lot of money around thelocal economy. Braun said his clientsspend an average of about $300 a day,including motels, food, transporta-tion, and equipment, bringing totallocal spending to around $300,000.

Seventeen companies havepermits to conduct wildlife andphotography tours in Yellowstone.Many of them specialize in wolvesand all of them talk about wolves.

“One-third to one-half of ourclients say it’s [seeing wolves] thehighlight of their trip,” said Tom

The following article originally appeared in theJanuary 16, 2000 edition of ‘The BozemanDaily Chronicle.’

Are wolves in Yellowstone a f i n a n c i a l b e n e f i t o r detriment? That depends on

who you talk to.Wolves are chewing holes in the

pockets of outfitters in the Jardinearea by reducing the numbers of resi-dent elk there, some people in thearea just north of YellowstoneNational Park maintain. Others saywolves are making wildlife lessvisible, making even non-huntingtrips harder to sell.

“Right now, I’m scared,” CookeCity outfitter Vic Jackson said.Jackson guides hunters and summertravelers and said wildlife is a big partof each trip. “In the area where I’m operating, the game is not there,”he said. Ranchers, too, complain thatwolves are killing and harassing livestock while causing expensiveheadaches for which they can’t becompensated.

But while some walletsmay be thinned by the pres-ence of big predators,others’ are being fattened.People all over the worldare fascinated by wolves,and there’s a big market forpeople who can take the

This group of International Wolf Center tourists on a trip toYellowstone in 1999 are amongthose who are bolstering the area’s local economy through their interest in wolves. N

ancy

Gib

son

Murphy of Livingston, who conductsoutdoor photography classes.

Jim Halfpenny runs A Naturalist’sWorld, an educational organizationin Gardiner, MT. His classes focus on wolf biology, ecology, and the complicated human sociologysurrounding wolf issues. Halpenny’sclients pay $200 to $250 a day,including room, board, and transportation. “We try to educateabout both sides of the social question,” he said.

While wolves are increasinglyraising the hackles of ranchers andhunters in the area, their appeal topeople around the world is undeni-able. Halfpenny said, “People write tome to say, ‘I’ve dreamed about wolvesall my life. What are the chances thatI’d get to see them?’” ■

THE ALPHALEGACY PROGRAMrecognizes the

generosity and foresight

of individuals who

have included the

International Wolf

Center in their wills or

other estate plans.

To learn more about making a gift through this program, please contact Walter Medwid, Executive Director, International Wolf Center, 3300 Bass Lake Rd., #202Minneapolis, MN 55429

763-560-7374wmedwid@wolf .org

Together we can work to

secure the survival of wolves.

P h o t o b y L y n n a n d D o n n a R o g e r s

Your gift for wolves can

last beyond a lifetime.

Your gift for wolves can

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They won’tforget the yearyou gave thema wolf for the

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1-800-ELY-WOLFTEACHING THE WORLD ABOUT WOLVES.

As a member of the InternationalWolf Center you are concernedabout wolves and the fate ofwild places on our planet. Youknow the feeling you get every timeanother issue of InternationalWolf arrives in your mailbox, thesatisfaction of doing your part

to see that wolves continue to havetheir place in the wild long into the future.

Why not share those feelings with friends and

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The International Wolf Center wants tomake it easier for you to spreadthe word about wolves andgive a meaningful gift thatwill be enjoyed long after theholidays.

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