The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced wolves into Yellowstone National Park in 1995 and 1996. This study helps assess that population’s recovery and determine factors that affect the population, including diseases, intraspecific strife, and interactions with prey. The restoration has been very successful, and the population has persisted for more than 20 years despite it being affected by canine distemper, mange, and other diseases. The Yellowstone wolves’ primary prey has always been elk, and we and other researchers have learned much about the interactions between the two species. One of the remaining questions was what factors affect the rate at which wolves encounter elk, a key factor in determining wolf hunting success rate. Based on 46 wolf pack study periods from 2004 to 2012, only elk density influenced wolf encounter rate of elk, despite tests of season, snow depth, elk-group density, mean-elk group size, wolf-pack size and territory size.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science?
Large carnivore science: non-experimental studies are useful, but experiments are better
Sexually dimorphic aggression indicates male gray wolves specialize in pack defense against conspecific groups
Territoriality and inter-pack aggression in gray wolves: shaping a social carnivore's life history
The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced wolves into Yellowstone National Park in 1995 and 1996. This study helps assess that population’s recovery and determine factors that affect the population, including diseases, intraspecific strife, and interactions with prey. The restoration has been very successful, and the population has persisted for more than 20 years despite it being affected by canine distemper, mange, and other diseases. The Yellowstone wolves’ primary prey has always been elk, and we and other researchers have learned much about the interactions between the two species. One of the remaining questions was what factors affect the rate at which wolves encounter elk, a key factor in determining wolf hunting success rate. Based on 46 wolf pack study periods from 2004 to 2012, only elk density influenced wolf encounter rate of elk, despite tests of season, snow depth, elk-group density, mean-elk group size, wolf-pack size and territory size.
Below are publications associated with this project.