YELLOWSTONE'S WILD WORLD

The Humble beginnings of a new wolf pack in Yellowstone

(Please note that the above image is of “Twin,” so named because he looks so much like 763M.  I do not have any decent images of 763 because he was wise enough to stay away from humans)

On a cold day in early February, 2014, and miles away, the 8 Mile wolf pack of Yellowstone National Park was about to undergo a big change.  For the wolves, they were in a world of their own, doing what wolves do in February – make puppies.  For us, we were voyeurs looking through scopes and camera lenses, knowing that wild wolves always have the capacity to surprise.

The pack’s beta male, 763M, found himself irresistibly attracted to the alpha female’s (909) two sisters, 821 and “Third Sister,” and his decision to mate with both females that day would change the course of his life.

No one knew, or knows, much about the two males, 871 (now deceased) and 763, because they came from a pack outside of the park to become the 8 Miles.  On this day in early February, no one knew exactly how old 763 was and so he was just referred to as “old,” and because he had twice broken his right front leg and was permanently lame, was not exactly alpha male material.

Try as he might that day, to keep 763 from mating with the two sisters, 871 could do nothing to stop a determined man in love.  And, he had a full plate with trying to keep his own mate, 909, from also following 763.

For those of us who were watching this show, it was fascinating but we could not help but wonder what would come next for the 8 Mile pack.  Would 909 allow her pregnant sisters to stay?  Would 871 allow 763 to stay?

The answer came only two short weeks later when I arrived at Floating Island Lake early one morning to a very close chorus of howls.  Most of what took place was behind trees and hills but when all was said and done, 763 found himself the leader of his own group, with two pregnant girls.

In early April the pups came and when we finally saw them there were only three, leading to some speculation that there might have been more that were lost.  Perhaps another predator got the other pups – whatever it was, the pack soon moved to a rendezvous area on the Blacktail, many miles from their den site.  And, they became known as the Prospect Peak pack – so named because it was the most positive of the choices that were mulled over.

Despite having only 3 pups and 3 adults the Prospect Peak pack soon grew in size, to a high count of 18, when many members of the  8 Mile pack dispersed and took up residence with their aunts and uncle on the Blacktail.  871 had been killed by the Cougar Creek pack and when 909 hooked up with 910 from that pack, the others split.  In Wolf World, it seems, no one wants their daddy’s killer as their stepdad when he is coming from an outside pack.

Because of his age, now speculated to be nine or older, and his leg injury, 763 has always been a quiet favorite.  His success, beating the difficult odds, did not go unnoticed.  And, when Twin, 965, Mottled and Dark Black came along and wanted to join the pack, 763 let them on in.  He seemed to have an uncanny confidence for a male in poor physical condition that could be overtaken easily if others aspired to take his pack.

But, instead of overthrowing 763, the 4 boys set out on their own to set up house with the Lamar Canyon pack and alpha female 926.  The Prospects had killed 926’s alpha male two weeks before and her six pups would have nothing to do with daddy’s killers and went out on their own.  The males never returned and one was eventually poached, but the 2 females did.

And, as you can see, the packs become intertwined.  There are 3 packs involved in this show but if you also consider that Twin mated with the females from the Junction Butte pack last February, before he joined the Lamars, there are four.

Because they are at the opposite side of the park than the Lamars, and normally so far from the road, I don’t watch the Prospect pack very often, but do keep up with the big events whenever possible.

This year the Prospects had 5 pups, 3 black and 2 grey, I believe, and their high count was 14.  Third Sister has been gone for a long time now and we do not know her fate but I suspect she was killed in the wolf hunt.  I had some private time with her, on a couple of occasions, and she is missed.

Last year, because they largely outnumbered the Junction Buttes, who lost their alpha female, 3 pups and a male yearling that dispersed, the Prospects traveled to Slough Creek and took the territory for their own.  This left the Junctions scrambling to establish their own territory, which now encroaches on that of the Lamar Canyons, and find a new den site.  This year the packs are pretty well matched, although the Junctions had everyone beat for awhile, with 19, but are now 14 or 15, and so it will be interesting to see how the territorial wars shape up.

Everything was pretty quiet in Wolf World until winter hit and the pups began traveling with the rest of the pack.  Pups began missing or getting into conflicts with other predators and/or packs and dying.  And, suddenly the Junction and Prospect alpha males show up with new injuries.  Chaos erupted across the northern range and the world of wolves is suddenly in flux.

Last week the Winter Study wolf project crew for the Prospects got 763’s signal at Elk Creek, seemingly not moving.  For about three days 763 was in the same place and they began to think that he was dead.  763 has a low battery on his collar and so there is speculation that they might not get a mortality signal on him if he were to pass away.  The crew set out on a hike to find 763 but when they arrived they only found his tracks, heading west.

It had been days and days of the crew not seeing their wolves but the following day brought many of the Prospect members back into view from Hell Roaring.  And, the good news was that 763’s signal was also in the area.  Everyone would soon be getting back together.

Towards the end of the day the wolves began traveling east, howling, scenting and traveling.  And then, there he was, daddy!  I was there to see 763 rejoin his pack and can tell you that there were many happy greetings.  763 looked well but had a new leg injury and seemed to be holding up his right rear leg.  He was back and that was all that mattered, as far as I could tell.  All is well that ends well.

I stopped to see the Prospects the following morning and was not surprised to see that 965 had left the Lamars to rejoin his old pack.  Everyone looked happy with everyone and were resting comfortably.  That is except for 965 who is miserable with a terrible case of mange. I was thinking that maybe he would get better pack support and possibly begin healing with good nutrition.  Others were worried that he was bringing mange to a pack that is solidly healthy.  But, what can you do –  wolves will be wolves.

Content that everything was well, I left and went on home for the remainder of the day.  And, then the news came that 763 and 965 had both been attacked by the Prospects.  My heart broke in two.  It seems so cruel for pack members to turn on each other in such a violent way.

This morning I went into the park to find out what the story was behind the attack and the wolf project told me that it was all so confusing.  The whole pack had been bedded and relaxed.  And, then they got up and did the usual greetings but it was during that time that something went horribly wrong and a yearling male, believed to be from the 8 Miles, suddenly attacked 763 while others joined in.  They told me that the first attack was brutal and that they could see 763 licking the blood.  763 couldn’t stand for long and would fall down.  This was going on while the yearling male and some pups went and attacked 965.  Apparently, 965 got off much lighter than 763.  And, then, as if that was not bad enough, they returned to attack 763 once again.

At the end of the day 763 was still alive but he had been lying in the same spot for hours, only lifting his head one time.  965 had moved off and was sitting under a tree, trying to sleep in that position.

In the morning 965 had moved further.  The Prospect pack had left and travelled north and signals from 763 seemed to be in the same place.  The wolf project found a snow covered black rock that wasn’t there the night before and believed that it could be 763.  Yet, his collar said that he was still alive.  And, so we do not yet know the outcome of this attack but I do not think that 763 is expected to survive.

If he were to survive, 763 would no longer have a pack.  A younger male that could be distantly related to 821, has now taken control and kicked the old guy out.  This is the way it goes in the world of wolves when the alphas are no longer able to support the pack, stronger wolves come in and take over.  So many with aspirations of being alpha and so few positions to be had.

For us, as humans, the brutal attack of an alpha by his own family is hard to understand.  Some just can’t stomach the idea while others  explain it away with the reasoning that things just happen that way in the wild.  And, they do.  We don’t know how it is for the wolves, whether they mourn their losses very long, if at all, but we always mourn those that we have known.

And, now the Prospect Peak pack of Yellowstone begins another chapter.  As for 965, he might survive the attack but maybe not the mange.  I, personally, would rather see him go quickly from being attacked than to suffer for a long time with the mange – it is already terrible and he is suffering every day.

Nothing ever stays the same in Wolf World, the only constant is change.  And, so we enjoy the moments and accept the seconds when disaster hits, moving on with an aching heart that will soon ache for others as well.