YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – This trail camera image shows something never before documented outside the Arctic: a Yellowstone wolf carrying her pup to follow the elk.
This photo was part of a groundbreaking new study which found that Yellowstone wolves will move more than 10 miles over rugged terrain with their young pups to stay close to migrating elk, the wolves’ primary prey. It’s the first time that gray wolves have been documented moving with cubs outside of the Arctic.
“Our findings counter years of assumptions by researchers that migratory hoofed mammals can escape predation in spring because [their predators] are tied to dens and immobile offspring,” said study senior author Arthur Middleton, a U.C. Berkeley professor of environmental science, policy and management.
Understanding how wolves move based on their prey is important to conserving both wolves and elk, and could help develop strategies to mitigate livestock losses due to wolves.
Click here to read the full study.
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