Yellowstone Wolf Project: Annual Report 1999

Smith, Douglas; Murphy, Kerry; Guernsey, Debra

At the end of 1999, at least 118 wolves were present in the greater Yellowstone area (GYA). Although at least 64 pups were born in the GYA in 1999, only 38 survived to the end of the year. There were 14 known wolf mortalities, and the fate of 18 other wolves was unknown; they may have died or left the ecosystem. The total number of wolves in the GYA at the end of 1999 was only six more than in 1998. As was the case at the end of 1998, 11 wolf packs were present in the GYA; there were also at least 17 wolves traveling alone or in small groups without established territories. Three of the packs had territories that lay entirely outside YNP. Ten of the packs produced a total of 12 litters; an additional litter was born to a wolf pair that was not considered part of an established pack. There were no new packs that could be counted toward wolf population recovery in 1999. To meet the requirements for delisting the wolf as an endangered species, 10 breeding pairs with at least two pups-of-the-year that survive until December 31 are needed in each of the three recovery areas for three consecutive years. Because one pack did not breed, and due to alpha male and pup mortalities that had occurred by year’s end, only six packs had breeding pairs that counted toward recovery in the GYA, the same number of packs that counted in 1998. In 1999, Yellowstone National Park staff began sharing the responsibility for GYA wolf management with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which monitored wolves residing primarily to the south and east of the park. This annual report will continue to include data on all wolves monitored within the ecosystem; however, certain details regarding movements and activities will only be provided for packs residing primarily within the park. In addition to 26 pups that were born in the spring of 1999 and died of natural causes, 14 wolves are known to have died in the GYA in 1999: 6 adults, 2 yearlings, and 6 of the pups that were born in 1998. Ten of the losses were human caused: eight were due to control actions for livestock depredation; one wolf died as the result of a collision with a vehicle; and one had to be euthanized as the result of a capture-related injury. One wolf probably died of disease, two were killed by other wolves, and the cause of one death remains unknown.

Yellowstone Wolf Project: Annual Report 1999

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