A 2-year-old wolf that was beloved by wildlife aficionados and tracked by researchers in Yellowstone National Park has been killed by a Montana hunter.
Wolf 1479F, part of the Junction Butte Pack, was shot outside the park in Wolf Management Unit 316 on Sept. 17, two days after the general hunting season opened in Montana.
Park spokeswoman Linda Veress confirmed the news to FTW Outdoors, explaining that the National Park Service and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks "worked together to verify 1479F's mortality from the radio collar when the wolf was checked in by MFWP staff per [hunting] regulations."
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While this is unwelcome news for Yellowstone tourists, it’s not surprising given that hunting seasons in Montana often claim wolves that spend most but not all of their lives inside the park, where they're protected. This includes collared research wolves, such as Wolf 1479F, and pups.
Wolf 1479F was captured and collared as a pup in February 2024.
Yellowstone Wolf 1479F
Montana's wolf quota for Wolf Management Unit 316 this season is three. The same quota exists for Wolf Management Unit 313. Both are just beyond Yellowstone’s northern boundary. As of Wednesday morning, only one wolf kill had been logged in both units. That was Wolf 1479F.
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Wyoming Untrapped, a group that advocates for trapping reform in Wyoming (in which most of Yellowstone is located), stated Tuesday on Facebook:
“Her death reminds us of the cruel truth: imaginary lines determine the fate of our wildlife. Inside Yellowstone, wolves are protected, admired, and valued. But the moment 1479F stepped across the park’s invisible boundary, she lost all protection.”
Taylor Rabe, a wildlife technician based in Gardiner, Montana, published an Instagram tribute regarding Wolf 1479F on Tuesday. Her description reads, in part:
“What’s the worst part of spending thousands of hours watching wolves? Losing one that you’ve come to know and love. Sometimes it seems overly dramatic to feel such a monumental loss when a wild animal dies, but I often have to remind myself that I am allowed to have a heavy heart, and mourn the loss of an animal that brought me so much joy over the years.”
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Wolf quotas are established by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission. The state allows limited hunting in various regions – and in WMU 316 and WMU 313 – as a means of managing and reducing wolf populations.
The statewide quota is 452. As of Wednesday morning, 10 wolves had been harvested.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Popular Yellowstone wolf killed by Montana hunter
[SRC] https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/yellowstone-wolf-killed-montana-hunter-152512371.html
