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Defenders Magazine
Defenders in Action: Defenders Heralds 10-Year Anniversary of Wolf Return
A decade after their return to Idaho and Yellowstone National Park, wolves are playing a crucial role in the region, and the balance of life in Yellowstone is returning to the days before the animals were extirpated.
This is one of the conclusions of “State of the Wolf 2004,” a new report by Defenders. The report celebrates the 10-year anniversary of what has been called one of the greatest conservation success stories of our time. “State of the Wolf” provides a snapshot in time of the ongoing recovery of wolves in the northern Rockies and elsewhere in the country, and analyzes the many challenges that still face gray and red wolves. In conjunction with the publication, Defenders will be celebrating the anniversary of wolf reintroduction throughout 2005.
“Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen the wolf make great strides throughout the Yellowstone region,” says Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders. “Its ongoing journey toward recovery is under way.”
It was a frigid day on January 12, 1995, when eight wolves transported in kennels from Canada were finally released in Yellowstone. The original reintroduction of the creatures to their native land was full of conflict and controversy. A last-minute lawsuit by the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation kept the wolves cooped up in their small cages upon arrival to the park. But an appellate court decision lifted an earlier order late in the day. After more than 30 hours in the cages, the wolves’ long journey ended when biologists rushed through the darkness to release the animals into their temporary holding pens.
With less fanfare, four more wolves were released on January 14 into Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, and were followed by six more wolves in Yellowstone and 11 more in Idaho on January 20. From this small stock, combined with those that naturally migrated from Canada to northern Montana, the wolves have thrived and now number approximately 750 in the northern Rockies.
Read our "State of the Wolf" report.
