5/16/2014 Utah study: ‘Crowded’ wolves raid other packs, kill pups | The Salt Lake Tribune

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By Lindsay Whitehurst | The Salt Lake Tribune

New research from Yellow stone National Park and Utah State University show s w olves compete w ith and kill each other w hen

populations are too dense. A gray w olf is show n resting in tall grass in this f ile photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

(AP Photo/US Fish & Wildlife, File)

Utah study: ‘Crowded’ wolves raidother packs, kill pupsWildlife » Utah State scientist studied 13 years of data on theYellowstone National Park wolf population.

First Published May 14 2014 10:18 am • Last Updated May 14 2014 10:18 pm

Wolves kill one another and the pups of competing packs in battles over territory even if there is

plenty to eat, according to a new study from Yellowstone National Park.

The research is a rare glimpse into the way wolves behave when humans are generally out of the

picture, said Utah State University ecologist Dan MacNulty.

"At the end of the day, the success of a wolf from an

evolutionary perspective is based on how many pups it

leaves behind," said MacNulty, who worked with scientists

from the University of Oxford and the Yellowstone Wolf

Project on a new paper published online in the Journal of

Animal Ecology. "If they’re packed close together, they

have the opportunity to raid each other and kill pups and

eliminate the competition."

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5/16/2014 Utah study: ‘Crowded’ wolves raid other packs, kill pups | The Salt Lake Tribune

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57939764-78/wolves-park-yellowstone-sltrib.html.csp 2/4

For a wolf, closeness is relative — as in 65 wolves per 1,000

square miles, the point at which adult survival rates drop

below 70 percent.

The study, which will also appear in a print edition of the

British Ecological Society publication, is based on 13 years

of data from radio-collared wolves at Yellowstone. Until

now, it’s been hard to say how a large population of the

animals interact with one another in the wild because their

numbers were tightly controlled.

The animals were eliminated from Yellowstone by the National Park Service in the 1920s. They were

reintroduced starting in 1995 and grew to something unique in the country — a group of wolves

protected from human development and hunting.

The population peaked in 2004, though, and has declined since — but not for lack of food. The

canines had plenty of their main prey: elk, as well as bison, bighorn sheep and mule deer.

Rather, the No. 1 cause of death during the study period was other wolves.

"They need more than simply food," MacNulty said. "That’s sort of an unappreciated aspect of their

biology."

If wolves leave the park looking for more elbow room, they can be hunted, hit by cars or otherwise

affected by people, though they occasionally survive to establish new packs with Wyoming wolves.

Researchers, though, generally don’t follow the predators after they leave Yellowstone.

The research suggests wolf populations are self-limiting, MacNulty said.

"There’s a perception that if wolves come into a new area, there will be no holding them back," he said,

"but ultimately what will be holding them back, if humans don’t, is themselves."

lw

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5/16/2014 Utah study: ‘Crowded’ wolves raid other packs, kill pups | The Salt Lake Tribune

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57939764-78/wolves-park-yellowstone-sltrib.html.csp 3/4

Perhaps a study on why so many studies are necessary to confirm the confirmation of previously verified

studies?

Yesterday 10 likes

So much for the argument that wolves will breed out of control.

2 days ago 10 likes

welfare ranchers and legislators don't realize that predators are their own best friend in keeping populations

down.

kill a bunch of coyotes and they produce more and bigger litters. Same with the wolves.

In addition to killing coyotes and wolves, there is an unnatural increase in rodent populations. Then the

welfare ranchers complain about rodents, the solution? Kill them all.

The latest brilliant idea from these people? Kill crows.

2 days ago 9 l ikes

Hey Utah legislature, notice how they had to leave Utah to find wolves?

2 days ago 8 l ikes

Hey, now that $300,000 grant to study wolves that the Utah legislature spent to hire someone's brother in law

has something to show for that money. He can just say, "yeah, what they said".

2 days ago 8 l ikes

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