In Yellowstone National Park, she was officially known as 832F. An alpha female gray wolf of considerable size and strength, she wore a GPS collar so researchers could track her movements. But many tourists and scientists called her ‘rock star.' She led the wolf pack in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley, an area where bison and elk provide lots of food. But this wolf's hunting prowess also represents the very thing that stirs up so much animosity among the many people who want to see fewer wolves in the west. So when 832F was shot and killed in Wyoming when she left the park boundaries, not everyone was mourning the loss, especially ranchers who lose livestock and hunters who compete for the elk. What's the loss to science? We hear the emotional debate about hunting and trapping.
Are Wolves out of the Woods?
Credits
Guests:
- Doug Smith - National Park Service - @NatlParkService
- Kim Bean - Wolves of the Rockies - @Bean540F
- Mark Holyoak - Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation - @markholyoak
- Rocky Barker - Idaho Statesman - @rockybarker
- Noah Greenwald - Center for Biological Diversity - @CenterForBioDiv