Two of Yellowstone’s iconic wolves are dead due to tourist negligence.
The National Park Service released a report from an incident on November 19th of this year when two wolf pups of the Junction Butte Pack were hit by a vehicle between Tower Junction and the Northeast Entrance. It was determined that the pups were hit because they were lingering close to the road, due to conditioning by tourists during the summer.
The Junction Butte Pack had their den close to a popular hiking trail in the northwest of Yellowstone. The park closed the section to tourists, but that didn’t stop several from violating the 100 yard rule with Yellowstone’s predators by getting too close to take pictures when the pups came close. They then started showing habituated behaviors and lingering close to roads.
This unfortunate incident comes during a year when the wolf population is lower than in years past. Fewer wolf pups have been born. It’s a morose reminder of our responsibility to keep Yellowstone wild – stay away from animals, stay out of closed areas, and report anyone violating those rules to Park Rangers.
