Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were trapped in Canada and put in acclimation pens before being released. Fourteen wolves were introduced in 1995, and seventeen more in 1996.
Wolf #9, a female, was one of the wolves in the first shipment in 1995. Wolves are assigned numbers based on their radio collar. Soon after release, #9's mate, #10, was shot and killed illegally outside the park. Around the same time as #10's death, #9 gave birth to eight pups. h e National Park Service team trapped #9 and her pups to put them back in the acclimation pen and held them throughout that first summer.
During the fall, they were all released. The family even received an added bonus. Male wolf #8, a disperser from another pack, was waiting outside the pen to become #9's new mate and the pups' new adopted father (Smith et al. 1999). The pups wasted no time accepting #8, as they were seen nipping, barking, and pulling on his tail. The willingness to adopt of spring that have been sired by another male is rare in the mammal world (Smith and Ferguson 2005). One of those male pups, #21, actually adopted five pups that were not his and became a great alpha male himself. Thus, #9 put the Yellowstone wolf population back on the map.
Questions
1. What was the rationale behind introducing wolves to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE)?
2. Explain what a keystone species is and why they are essential to a particular ecosystem. How do keystone species factor in the overall food web of that ecosystem?
3. Acclimation pens were used for wolves during the reintroduction process. Please explain why these were used. What precautions did the wolf project staff take so that the wolves did not become habituated?
4. Wolf #8 showed a rare type of social behavior by adopting offspring that were not his own. Why would this behavior be rare in mammals? How could this be a beneficial behavior?