©Kevin Sanders
For
current up-to-date information on yellowstone parks wolf population
go to:
Yellowstone Wolf Update Page
No 41F--The last remaining introduced
wolf dead: 2/17/04
The last remaining wolf reintroduced into Yellowstone park
is now dead. No. 41F, originally released with the Druid Peak pack
during the second, 1996-97 release program was shot by U.S. Fish
and Wildlife agents on Feb. 12 in or near Sunlight Basin, east of
Yellowstone after she and a second wolf reportedly killed a calf.
No. 41F was the surviving sister of #42F(see:
Famous Druid Pack Female Found
Dead 2/3/04 ) her physical condition was very
poor at time of death, old, and was reported to be limping prior
to her death.
Here is the description
by the USFWS, and provided courtesy:Ralph
Maughan
"Two members
of the Sunlight Basin pack killed a newborn calf on private land
on the (Feb.) 6th. Female wolf #41- the last? of the original reintroduced
wolves and the pack's former alpha female was responsible. She is
no longer alpha, has mange, and is limping, and is no longer closely
associated with the pack. She was accompanied by another uncollared
wolf with mange and only 2 sets of tracks were documented coming
and going from the kill site. She and the other wolf are hanging
out in the area where the calf was killed and she was actually located
from the air on the fresh calf carcass. The rancher temporarily
confined his 25 cow/calf pair to reduce the potential for continued
problems but that can only be very short term solution. WS was authorized
to kill both of them ASAP, as she was involved in several other
cattle depredations over the past couple of years. Her chronic pattern
of depredation, the wolves' poor condition, and the dispersed nature
of livestock throughout this area negate the potential for long-term
success of any non-lethal tools. On the 12th, she was shot from
the ground by WS. She had a lame front foot and severe mange. Further
control is on hold unless there are further depredations."
Unlike her sister 42F, 41F couldn't or wouldn't tolerate the domination
of her sister 40F in the Druid Pack, so she climbed over the Absaroka
Range and met dispersing Rose Creek male 52M and they formed the
Sunlight Basin Pack in 1998-9, a pack which did very well until
it contracted mange in 2003. Both 52M and 41F died in 2003-4 (52M's
death might have been natural).