From activenorcal.com:
The Whaleback Pack, living in Northern California’s Siskiyou County, delivered a historic litter of pups in 2022. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed the pack added 8 pups this year, the largest known litter of wolf pups in over 100 years.
The Whaleback Pack now sits at 10 known wolves after the male gray wolf, dubbed OR-85, mated with the female for the second time in two years. With the wolf pack delivering 15 pups in just two years of living in NorCal, they now sit as a crucial part of the controversial reintroduction of wolves in the state.
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The Term Alpha Male Is All A Lie
From IFLScience.com:
We hate to break it to you, but wolf packs don’t actually have alpha males and females. The researcher who introduced this term tried to clear up what had happened many years ago, but thanks to pop culture and some money-hungry publishers the confusion still persists.
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“It’s perplexing”: What’s killing dozens of cows near Meeker? State officials don’t know.
From The Denver Post:
Something killed dozens of cattle around White River National Forest lands in northwest Colorado and state wildlife officials don’t know what it is.
A rancher in the area first reported the death of about 18 calves early last month and Colorado Parks and Wildlife investigators initially thought wolves might be responsible. That estimation was significant because the site sits a considerable distance away from North Park, where the state’s only confirmed pack lives, meaning that if wolves had killed the calves, Colorado likely had a new and previously unreported pack.
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Whaleback Pack Delivers California’s Largest Known Wolf Litter in Over 100 Years
From activenorcal.com:
The Whaleback Pack, living in Northern California’s Siskiyou County, delivered a historic litter of pups in 2022. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed the pack added 8 pups this year, the largest known litter of wolf pups in over 100 years.
The Whaleback Pack now sits at 10 known wolves after the male gray wolf, dubbed OR-85, mated with the female for the second time in two years. With the wolf pack delivering 15 pups in just two years of living in NorCal, they now sit as a crucial part of the controversial reintroduction of wolves in the state.
Click here for the full story.
Parasite gives wolves what it takes to be pack leaders
From Nature.com:
Wolves infected with a common parasite are more likely than uninfected animals to lead a pack, according to an analysis of more than 200 North American wolves1. Infected animals are also more likely to leave their home packs and strike out on their own.
The parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, makes its hosts bold — a mechanism that increases its survival.
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First draft of ‘Colorado wolf restoration’ plan set to be introduced to public
From outtherecolorado.com:
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the first draft of the ‘Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan’ will be available for public viewing in a virtual meeting on December 9. The plan will be presented in this first meeting before being discussed with public feedback heard at five upcoming meetings set to take place around the state of Colorado.
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Doug Smith, Yellowstone’s chief wolf scientist, is retiring this week
From the Jackson Hole News and Guide:
Doug Smith, the human face of Yellowstone National Park’s wolf research and management program, is retiring.
The park announced Smith’s imminent departure Monday afternoon. His last day in the office is Tuesday.
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Montana judge restricts wolf hunting near Yellowstone Park
From WFIN.com:
A Montana judge has temporarily restricted wolf hunting and trapping near Yellowstone and Glacier national parks and imposed tighter statewide limits on killing the predators, over concerns that looser hunting rules adopted last year in the Republican-controlled state could harm their population.
State officials authorized the killing of 450 wolves during the winter of 2021-22, but ended up shutting down hunting near Yellowstone National Park after 23 wolves from the park were killed, most of them in Montana.
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Hackles have been raised in the wolf wars of America’s west
From The Economist:
The next battle in America’s wolf wars is beginning. In 2020, Coloradans voted to reintroduce grey wolves to their state by the end of 2023.
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife can’t find any evidence of a mystery wolf pack killing cattle near Meeker
From CPR.org:
It appears there may not be a mystery pack of wolves living in northwestern Colorado and killing local livestock after all.
Last month, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials dispatched a news release acknowledging it was investigating the possibility that wolves were responsible for killing cattle in the White River National Forest.
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New pups a hit at International Wolf Center
From the Ely Echo:
For the second straight year, the International Wolf Center welcomed new pups.
Rieka’s arrival in 2021, which coincided with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and resulted in attendance more than doubling at the local museum, was only the beginning.
Click here for the full story.