25th Anniversary of Wolves Return to Yellowstone Park Celebrated

 

Since 1984, Dr. Elliot Gruen has served as a general psychiatrist at St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, Maine. An avid traveler, Dr. Elliot Gruen has completed a road trip from Maine to the California coast that took in Yellowstone National Park.

As reported by CBS News, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the reintroduction of wolves into the Yellowstone ecosystem. With the Yellowstone being the first national park created in 1872, that did not stop wolves, feared as a voracious predator, from being hunted, poisoned, and trapped to extinction across the American West by the early 20th century.

For over three years starting in 1995, 41 grey wolves from Canada were set loose within the park and they have managed to thrive over the decades. Now numbering approximately 100, the wolves have organized themselves into 10 packs and are closely monitored through radio collars that are attached to members of every pack. With the average wolf life expectancy five years, the leading cause of mortality is from attacks from other wolves, who are extremely territorial.

At the time of the introduction of wolves, there was a fierce debate between wildlife organizations and ranchers, which subsided over time. Today, the wolves are a major tourist draw, with visitors coming to Yellowstone even in the dead of winter hoping to catch a glimpse of these apex predators.