By the time the National Park was established in 1827, the number of gray wolves had diminished substantially, a trend that continued thanks to a … All told, at the end of 2018 there were at least 80 wolves in nine packs with seven breeding pairs that were calling Yellowstone home. In 1924, the last known wolves in Yellowstone, two pups discovered near Soda Butte, were officially killed by park rangers. Wolves flourished amidst Yellowstone's abundant prey and expansive, protected wilderness. The 7-year-old female wolf, known to scientists as Lamar Canyon Wolf Pack member 926F, had wandered just outside Yellowstone last weekend and was legally killed by a trophy hunter. Yellowstone biologists are studying the effects of hunting in conjunction with other national parks — … … Yellowstone National Park confirmed Wednesday that two wolf pups found dead on a park road last month perished as a result of a vehicle strike. With ESA listing came the goal of restoring wolves to their historic range, and in 1995 and 1996, following many years of public planning and input, a total of 31 wolves, captured in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, were reintroduced to Yellowstone. This set off a chain of ecological events known as a trophic cascade – when one tiny change in an ecosystem ripples out and causes many other effects. Wolves were officially declared extinct in the park by 1926. Since they were reintroduced in Yellowstone in 1995, wolves have had a constantly contested presence. Unfortunately, the Yellowstone wolves fell prey to the extensive predator elimination programs of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Despite much opposition, the gray wolf was finally reintroduced to Yellowstone … The last wolf to be shot in Yellowstone was killed in 1926. Even though Yellowstone elk were still preyed upon by black and grizzly bears, cougars and, to a lesser extent, coyotes, the absence of wolves took … When 12 wolves were killed my first year here, during the hunting season of 2012-2013, by hunters just across Yellowstone’s northern boundary, wolf numbers plummeted in the park. Wolves … For seventy years there were either no or very few wolves … The park, angry over a famous animal poached—and an outfitter who admits he’s sick of wolves. However they were considered nuisance predators who killed livestock and therefore, actively hunted down. In the 1800's the Rocky Mountain West area of the USA that now includes Yellowstone National Park, was teeming with gray wolves. Smith suggested that only a few wolves from Yellowstone packs are killed in hunts near park boundaries, but he said the harvest of the wrong individual can upset pack dynamics. To answer that, you have to go back to the 1930s, when the wolf was killed off in Yellowstone. 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