Wolves dispersing here and there
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
March 7, 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife reported on dispersing wolves this week:
"It is a well documented fact that wolves can disperse extremely long distances, frequently over 500 miles and across huge expanses of habitat unsuitable for wolf pack persistence. Routine long distance dispersals are common and provide further evidence that genetic connectivity in the NRM wolf population is and will remain extremely high and is not a long term wolf conservation issue.
Examples of dispersals in Wyoming and the GYA in 2008/2009 include:
1) Two dispersing wolves settled in to an area south of Casper.
2) A radio collared male wolf dispersed from N. Idaho, traveled through YNP, settled in the Sunlight Basin area west of Cody, and paired up with a female radio collared wolf.
3) A single wolf has been documented west of Wheatland.
4) A single radio collared wolf dispersed to the Big Horn Mountains and was recently located near Hyattville north of Ten Sleep.
5) A female wolf dispersed from SW Montana, traveled though Wyoming, SE Idaho, NE Utah, and was recently located in Colorado. Location data from the wolf’s GPS collar are down loaded every 2 weeks and locations will be reported in the USFWS Weekly Report."
In other news, FWS reports:
"WGFD bear biologists have been testing remote cameras which will eventually be used to document the presence of grizzly bears and sows with cubs. Numerous photos of wolves have been taken by these motion sensitive cameras near Lander and west of Cody. A pack was recently confirmed on the Wind River Reservation, north of Lander. Photos of >6 wolves have confirmed a pack of wolves in the North Fork drainage, west of Cody."
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