Starting in 1995, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 31 Canadian wolves in Yellowstone National Park. At that time, Yellowstone’s northern elk herd was between 19,000 and 20,000 elk.
Due to the escalated depredation by ever growing wolf numbers, Yellowstone’s once wondrous northern elk herd had dwindled to around 4,400 animals by 2011. Likewise, once thriving populations of deer, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats have also suffered a serious down turn .
In the western mountains of Montana, there has been near “0” calf elk survival for several years now, due to wolf depredation, and elk numbers are dropping like a rock.
One troubling impact wolves are making are the documented occurrences of wolves killing for the mere pleasure of killing. In one instance alone, a small group of wolves in Montana went on a killing spree, and in one night killed 130 domestic sheep - without eating anything. And they are doing the same thing with deer and elk.
http://www.lobowatch.org/adminclient/WolfWar2/go
I love Lobowatch.
Been hunting north of the park for nearly 25 years.
What has happened in the last several years is an atrocity.