Wolf Report: Old Wolf Dies

Another of the original wolves released in central Idaho in 1995 has died. The carcass of an old radio-collared wolf, which probably died in summer or fall of 2006, was found by a central Idaho hiker along the Sabe Creek and the Salmon River a few weeks ago. Apparently the dead wolf was B16, one of the original wolves released in central Idaho in 1995. A radio-collar company figured out the old collar's frequency and serial number, and according to Idaho's records the collar belonged to wolf B16, a gray subadult female from the Obed Lake pack when captured in Alberta. She became the breeding female paired with B9, captured near Hinton, Alberta, of the Chamberlain Basin pack, which roamed some of the most rugged, remote country in the heart of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Their pack was among the first reintroduced packs to produce pups in Idaho. B16 would have been just over 13 years old when she died. She was one of 14 wolves captured in Alberta and released in central Idaho in 1995. Another 20 wolves were released the following year. Their legacy thrives in Idaho's rugged backcountry. Biologists estimate that by the end of 2006, at least 673 wolves lived in Idaho, and they documented 72 packs. Those packs included 53 packs known to have produced about 185 pups this year. B16 was among the oldest of the original 34 wolves brought to Idaho. But likely the last and oldest member of those wolves was B7, who was killed along a highway north of Salmon in January. He would have been about 14, making him among the oldest wolves in the wild. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers the wolf recovered in Idaho and the northern Rocky Mountains and has started the process to remove the wolf from the endangered species list. The agency recently released its annual report on wolf recovery. The Fish and Wildlife Service's weekly wolf reports as well as the annual report can be viewed at http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/.