After years of dauntingly low wolf numbers in and around Yellowstone National Park, the species has made a resurgence in the area. During a comprehensive study which ended Thursday, officials finished a series of 30-day surveillances of the wolves in the park.
Each early winter and spring, crews spend 30-day periods studying, researching the species which was reintroduced to the park in 1995. In monitoring the wolves, officials estimated this year’s wolf populations at 120, up from last year’s mark of 97.
Those conducting the survey are using a variety of methods to scout the dozen or so different packs within park boundaries. Monitoring from the air and collar tracking help scientists keep pace with the often fast-moving packs.
With rising wolf numbers, reports indicate rapidly decreasing elk numbers. From 15 years ago, the local elk population has shrunk from close to 20,000 to between 5,000 and 6,000 currently. The population decrease has created a controversy surrounding the relationship between elk and wolves within Yellowstone.
While wolves are not reported as the lone factor in the shrinking population, the relationship remains closely monitored.
The study, which is biannual, will be conducted again in March.
Too many elk disappearing. 20,000 to 5,000. That’s not good news for those persons going to yellowstone to see the elk.!!
There’s more places than just Yellowstone to see elk. The wolves bring more tourism dollars than the elk do any day. Don’t let my name fool you either. I love going to Yellowstone for the rut, but wolves were there. Before we wiped them out. It’s a good thing they are back. The ecosystem can finally rebound and equalize back to where it was when wolves were around.
In many states elk are a major resource as in hunting and sight seeing, wolves are not. Now you wipe out an entire source of income for some states to bring back something that took 200 years to get down to manageable numbers.
So now that the wolf population is up there is going to be an ill concieved plan in idaho, Montana, and Wyoming to kill wolves from airplanes where they are run down to the point of exaustion and shot point blank. And in Wyoming and Montana they are offering $100 bounties for dead wolves, all backed by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
City folk love to see wolves on vacation. Yellowstone is great for that purpose. I agree with monitoring the park wolves and maintaining reasonable numbers. It is a different story when they move into your state and even the hills above your city. Wolves are really efficient predators and will kill a flock of sheep without eating them. (see video footage from Oregon). We need seasons and bag limits for the wolves outside the park. Elk bring a lot of money to the department of fish and game and those funds support Wolf management.
I ‘ve had enough of the park. The wolves that were introduced were not original species. We always went to see the elk. Since they have become wolf food, we don’t intend to go.