With Yellowstone’s elk herd disappearing faster than a case of PBR at grandpa’s deer camp, the park’s flourishing wolves have turned their attention to another, larger food source.
Elk populations in the Yellowstone ecosystem have taken a beating since the reintroduction of wolves back in the 90s. Since the gray wolf was reintroduced, elk populations have nosedived with a 60 percent reduction in numbers. Meanwhile,the park’s bison population has done the exact opposite, ballooning by nearly 800 percent.
Despite being a larger, more formidable opponent than elk, the American buffalo has attracted the attention of hungry wolves and predation events are becoming more and more common.
With a recent standoff showcasing a bull bison fending for himself against a pack of wolves attracting a lot of attention as of late, National Park Service biologist Dan Stahler, who acts as Yellowstone’s primary large carnivore specialist, says this was not an isolated event.
“Any wolf packs that are in the park, if they have bison in their territory, they will prey on bison,” he said. “Wolves are persistent. A bison kill is usually a long-lasting event, just because it’s so difficult, and it’s dangerous. We’ve documented wolves getting killed hunting bison over the years.”
Stahler was quick to reiterate that while wolf predation certainly has had an effect on elk populations, there are a variety of other factors at play. He stated that wolves have about a 10-15 percent success rate when it comes to hunting elk and many other predators such as bears, mountain lions and hunters have played their part in decimating the park’s elk populations.
With elk numbers in Yellowstone going the way of the buffalo, so to speak, opportunistic predators such as wolves are bound to take notice. The challenge for Yellowstone’s biologists continues to be one of balance, despite an ecosystem that can, at times, offer those that manage it anything but.
Image: Dan Stahler, NPS
