Friday, Feb. 5, 2016

Some wolf adventures this morning. I got out a bit late and drove almost all the way through the park looking for the wolf people before I found them just past Soda Butte. They weren't seeing anything at the moment, but had a story about the Mollies and the Lamar Canyon packs.

The Mollies are one of the strongest packs in the park. They generally live south of the Lamar Valley in Pelican Valley, just north of the Lake. In winter, the elk leave Pelican Valley, leaving the Mollies with nothing but bison to eat. Thus, they have learned how to hunt bison; the only wolves in the park to do so. They do this by getting the bison trapped in deep snow so its kicks are ineffective and are then able to overwhelm it. No other packs in the area are known to do this. To add to their strength, they have 17 healthy members this year, making them the largest pack in the park. They also tend to be larger than other wolves in the park. Not for nothing are they known as the bullies when they enter another pack's territory.

Apparently, this year, the snows aren't as deep in Pelican Valley, so they have moved north for food, invading the Lamar Canyon pack's territory. To add to their troubles, the Lamars all have mange. It causes them to lose their fur, which, because of the loss of insulation, weakens them. This morning, in a territorial battle, the Mollies killed one of the pups born to the Lamars this past spring. Normally, at this time, the pup should have weighed around 80 lbs. The wolf project people got the pup after it was all over and did a health exam. She weighed 39 lbs. All because of the mange. The rest of the pack looks just as weak.

This all happened before I got there, so I heard about it 2nd hand. Later, as we were watching one of the Lamars feed on an elk carcass on the east side of the valley, we heard howling all up and down the Soda Butte valley. Soon after, we saw 6 of the Mollies moving through the hills on the west side of the valley. 3 of them approached a big bull elk, but, after some consideration, decided not to attack.

The rest of the day was spent driving around waiting for something to happen. I saw bighorn sheep:

And several coyotes: