Fifth wolf killed in unit north of Yellowstone
By Benjamin Alva Polley EBS CONTRIBUTOR
On Friday, Nov. 1, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported that a fifth wolf was found dead in heavy cover inside Wolf Management Unit 313 from a gunshot wound. Wolf Management Unit 313 funnels north of Yellowstone National Park into Paradise Valley. After complaints from the public and Yellowstone officials, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission placed a quota of three wolves this season to prevent further disruption of wolf pack dynamics within Yellowstone National Park. The commission divided the unit into two separate ones.
“We know wolf management is a controversial subject in Montana, particularly around Yellowstone National Park,” said Greg Lemon, spokesperson for FWP. “The Fish and Wildlife Commission has considered that controversy in those interests and set quotas accordingly.”
A quota is a number that FWP feels keeps wolf populations slightly stable, and slightly trending down allowing for some management flexibility.
“The population is enough to address livestock depredation with any tools in the toolbox,” Lemon said. “Or too much predation on big game species.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, FWP went to the location of the dead wolf and discovered the animal had a tracking collar on. It showed a mortality signal during the first week of November, alerting officials of its death and location. The agency believes this wolf was shot the same day that two hunters shot four other wolves in the area.
According to the FWP dashboard and confirmed by Lemon, on the morning of Oct. 24, two females and two males, four members of Yellowstone’s 8 Mile Pack, were killed. Later that morning, FWP stated that the unit would close to wolf hunting at 11:30 the following day.
After visiting the site, FWP stated the fifth wolf was not illegally killed and that the person who shot it “unknowingly wounded” the animal, according to a Nov. 5 press release. Montana law strictly states that hunters must recover wounded animals when hunting.
Since all five wolves killed in WMU 313 were from the 8 Mile Pack, this furthers the concerns about pack fragmentation after 13 were killed last winter. WildEarth Guardians, an advocacy group that fights to protect wildlife, wild places and wild rivers in the American West, “is devastated” by the recent news.
“We get small wins sometimes when it comes to protecting wolves and other carnivore species in Montana,” said Lizzy Pennock, a carnivore co-existence attorney for WildEarth Guardians.
This past August, the Fish and Wildlife Commission split the wolf management units north of Yellowstone back into 313 and 316, and the quota of six was divided in half.
“But we’re still seeing five wolves being killed in 313 and we’re not seeing accountability,” said Pennock. “Many business owners depend on people coming to this state to see living wolves.”
Two recent reports reported that Yellowstone visitors spend over $600 million in nearby communities and support thousands of local jobs. They come to see the park’s landscape, geothermal activity and wildlife, including wolves.
This economic impact was one of the reasons for splitting 313 back into two management units. Cam Sholly, the superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, wrote a letter pushing for changes in how the Fish and Wildlife Commission manages state lands adjacent to the National Park and suggested they divide those units into two after 13 Yellowstone wolves were killed last year, including eight in Montana, six of those in unit 313. The 13 wolves contributed to 10% of Yellowstone’s winter wolf population. The 13 wolves came from three packs that have since fractured or dissolved. When packs are fragmented the remaining wolves, often without a leader, are more likely to get into trouble with neighboring livestock.
“It just feels like a total paper victory,” said Pennock. “It’s unacceptable because five wolves have already been killed and we still have how many more months, and then to see FWP not really doing anything about it. There’s no enforcement of rules regarding wolves and no efforts to hold people accountable. According to regulations, it’s almost 50% more than the wolves that should have been killed in that unit.”
So far, during Montana’s wolf hunting season, which began Sept. 1, 87 wolves have been harvested. In unit 316, only one has been reported to have been killed.
