According to the latest figures, 104 wolves spread across 11 packs now reside in the park, following their reintroduction from Canada in 1995. Nine breeding pairs have also produced at least 40 surviving pups, further bolstering their colony against a legislative backdrop that could see their legal protection from hunting abolished. The species was declared extinct in Yellowstone during 1926 following decades of intense persecution, triggering an ecological chain reaction that would adversely affect the biodiversity and overall health of the park’s wildlife. Their reintroduction has dramatically restored much of what had been degraded, as I illustrated in a previous post: Yellowstone Revival.

Despite this proliferation, it’s understood that wolves occupy just 10% of their historical range across the United States, and further proposed reintroductions have been a highly contentious topic. So much so, that in areas where populations are finally healthy and stable, talk has soon turned to ‘managing’ their numbers. That usually translates to ‘culling’. Once again, the spectre of corporate clout and landowners trying to play god with their surroundings could threaten a most misunderstood of species; overlooking the enormous benefits that a carnivore such as this can bring to an unbalanced ecosystem. Will we ever learn from our mistakes?