Yellowstone Wolves

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George
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Location: Castleton-on-Hudson, NY

Wolves 1.jpg
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Here are 4 members of the 8-member Mollies Pack, named after Molly Island in Yellowstone Lake near Fishing Bridge. We saw them for about a minute before they disappeared over the ridge. The alpha male (not seen) is also black, and reportedly weighs in at 165 pounds. This pack had previously destroyed in 2007 the Hayden Pack in a turf battle, killing the alpha male and his mate and scattering the pack. We later saw the bison herd that they were stalking.

The reintroduction of wolves has resulted in interesting effects on the ecosystem. The population of coyotes has dropped due to competition and attacks. The elk population had been concentrated in the river valleys, but became easy pickings for the wolves. Now they are more scattered in higher terrain. Since they are no longer browsing extensively on riparian vegetation, there is more shade along the river banks. This benefits the fishery, which in turn benefits the otters and eagles. The increase in carcasses has also benefitted scavengers such as eagles and ravens. We saw 2 carcasses during our visit, an elk and a bison, covered with ravens.

As thrilling as this was, I look forward to returning with that 500mm lens!
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Matt
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I saw a documentary about the reintroduction. Very good for the park (as a tourist destination) and the ecosystem.
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