Status report Toklat Wolves from Dr. Haber
Toklat Wolves of Denali National Park
March 30, 2005 Update
Gordon C. Haber
During early March 30 aerial observations, National Park Service (NPS)
wildlife biologist Tom Meier saw six uncollared wolves together
inside the established Toklat wolf territory. I did not see these
wolves on a later March 30 flight but concur with Dr. Meier's
interpretation that they are probably Toklat survivors.
Their colors indicate they would be the six 2004 pups or a
combination of 2003 and 2004 pups. Denali superintendent Paul
Anderson provided me with Meier's observations in a phone
conversation.
The appearance of these six wolves is a stroke of good luck and
provides hope. Nonetheless it is tempered by other observations as of
March 30. The alpha male and the young female with whom he mated on
March 9 were still 30 miles apart as of late March 30. He is in the
same high-risk area where I have found him since March 26, inside the
park but so close to the east boundary and a likely trapper's
residence on March 30 that my pilot and I elected not to circle long
enough for a good visual, for fear of revealing his location to the
trapper.
According to superintendent Anderson, Tom Meier saw him together
with another wolf on a kill at or near this location on March 29 or
30. He remains 12-15 miles outside the established Toklat territory;
the last time he was inside the territory during any of my
observations was on March 12.
The young female finally left the trapping area where she had remained
alone in all of my observations from March 18-26. She was 12 miles
westward on March 30, just inside the north park boundary near the
northcentral side of the Toklat territory. It wasn't possible to
actually see her due to heavy brush and trees (a radio collar signal
is enough to provide an accurate location without a visual). This is
the same area to which she traveled after her separation from the
male in the trapping area on March 15 or 16; as indicated, she
returned to the trapping area two days later.
The number and colors of all the wolves observed recently, together
with the known February trapping deaths of the alpha female and
unrelated female who joined Toklat in 2004 and observation of a pup
traveling in the territory with a trap on its foot, add up to a
likelihood of 8-9 Toklat survivors at present with uncertainty
about the identity of the wolf currently with the alpha male. If this
is an unrelated wolf, especially a female, the male might be less
likely to return to the established territory. Perhaps in his view
nothing remains of his family.
Thus, while the latest observations warrant more optimism, they do not
change the fact that major, human-caused damage has already been done
to this famous group of wolves and that its survival as one of the
world's oldest known family lineages of any non-human species in
the wild is seriously in question ("lineage" refers to social
as
well as genetic continuity). As I emphasized in the March 27 update
(pp. 6-8), the concern should not be simply for some wolves to remain
in the established Toklat territory or to recolonize it. The emphasis
should be on preserving or restoring what is possible of Toklat's
longstanding traditions, particularly with regard to denning patterns
and other spatial behavior.
Focusing more on the simple presence of wolves than the underlying
natural interplay of events and changes (traditions and much else)
would be appropriate for managing a zoo but not Denali National Park.
Whatever remains or can be restored of Toklat's world-class
scientific and visitor-viewing values depends critically on not
forgetting this distinction.
The continuing problem as of the latest field observations is that
Toklat's two most important remaining wolves – the alpha male
and the young female with whom he mated – remain separated by
considerable distances from each other and (in the male's case)
the
home territory and other survivors. The male carries much of the
accumulated learned information that will be needed if important
Toklat traditions are to persist. She probably carries the only
potential 2005 Toklat pups, whose appearance in early-mid May
requires not only that she survives but that she survives in good
condition.
Not surprisingly, a social breakdown has followed the February
trapping deaths of Toklat's two most important females. Finding
6-7 new survivors won't do much to improve that outlook unless the
two most important remaining wolves either come back together with
each other and the home territory or are put back together.
Superintendent Anderson has decided not to undertake the live-capture
effort I recommended in the March 27 update to put these pieces back
together, at least for now. I accept this decision for now,
reluctantly, primarily because of potential complications related to
the appearance of the wolf with the alpha male.
However, the urgency of reuniting the key individuals with each other
and their territory remains, as does the rationale for intervening in
a national park in this case to undo a major human-caused problem.
NPS should prepare to move quickly with the recommended effort in the
event that the prospects of reunification do not improve, especially
if the young female returns to the trapping area or isn't soon
observed at a kill or winter kill. This action should be taken even
if it means leaving the wolf accompanying the alpha male behind.
Meanwhile an emergency wolf hunting-trapping closure in still needed
in the Savage-Parks Highway area outside the northeast park boundary
to prevent further human-caused losses to Toklat and other groups of
Denali wolves through April 30. A larger northeast and east park
boundary buffer zone and related measures will be needed beyond that
to ensure adequate protection. I look forward to helping to prepare a
strong NPS/Interior Department appeal to the state on both counts.
March 30, 2005 Update
Gordon C. Haber
During early March 30 aerial observations, National Park Service (NPS)
wildlife biologist Tom Meier saw six uncollared wolves together
inside the established Toklat wolf territory. I did not see these
wolves on a later March 30 flight but concur with Dr. Meier's
interpretation that they are probably Toklat survivors.
Their colors indicate they would be the six 2004 pups or a
combination of 2003 and 2004 pups. Denali superintendent Paul
Anderson provided me with Meier's observations in a phone
conversation.
The appearance of these six wolves is a stroke of good luck and
provides hope. Nonetheless it is tempered by other observations as of
March 30. The alpha male and the young female with whom he mated on
March 9 were still 30 miles apart as of late March 30. He is in the
same high-risk area where I have found him since March 26, inside the
park but so close to the east boundary and a likely trapper's
residence on March 30 that my pilot and I elected not to circle long
enough for a good visual, for fear of revealing his location to the
trapper.
According to superintendent Anderson, Tom Meier saw him together
with another wolf on a kill at or near this location on March 29 or
30. He remains 12-15 miles outside the established Toklat territory;
the last time he was inside the territory during any of my
observations was on March 12.
The young female finally left the trapping area where she had remained
alone in all of my observations from March 18-26. She was 12 miles
westward on March 30, just inside the north park boundary near the
northcentral side of the Toklat territory. It wasn't possible to
actually see her due to heavy brush and trees (a radio collar signal
is enough to provide an accurate location without a visual). This is
the same area to which she traveled after her separation from the
male in the trapping area on March 15 or 16; as indicated, she
returned to the trapping area two days later.
The number and colors of all the wolves observed recently, together
with the known February trapping deaths of the alpha female and
unrelated female who joined Toklat in 2004 and observation of a pup
traveling in the territory with a trap on its foot, add up to a
likelihood of 8-9 Toklat survivors at present with uncertainty
about the identity of the wolf currently with the alpha male. If this
is an unrelated wolf, especially a female, the male might be less
likely to return to the established territory. Perhaps in his view
nothing remains of his family.
Thus, while the latest observations warrant more optimism, they do not
change the fact that major, human-caused damage has already been done
to this famous group of wolves and that its survival as one of the
world's oldest known family lineages of any non-human species in
the wild is seriously in question ("lineage" refers to social
as
well as genetic continuity). As I emphasized in the March 27 update
(pp. 6-8), the concern should not be simply for some wolves to remain
in the established Toklat territory or to recolonize it. The emphasis
should be on preserving or restoring what is possible of Toklat's
longstanding traditions, particularly with regard to denning patterns
and other spatial behavior.
Focusing more on the simple presence of wolves than the underlying
natural interplay of events and changes (traditions and much else)
would be appropriate for managing a zoo but not Denali National Park.
Whatever remains or can be restored of Toklat's world-class
scientific and visitor-viewing values depends critically on not
forgetting this distinction.
The continuing problem as of the latest field observations is that
Toklat's two most important remaining wolves – the alpha male
and the young female with whom he mated – remain separated by
considerable distances from each other and (in the male's case)
the
home territory and other survivors. The male carries much of the
accumulated learned information that will be needed if important
Toklat traditions are to persist. She probably carries the only
potential 2005 Toklat pups, whose appearance in early-mid May
requires not only that she survives but that she survives in good
condition.
Not surprisingly, a social breakdown has followed the February
trapping deaths of Toklat's two most important females. Finding
6-7 new survivors won't do much to improve that outlook unless the
two most important remaining wolves either come back together with
each other and the home territory or are put back together.
Superintendent Anderson has decided not to undertake the live-capture
effort I recommended in the March 27 update to put these pieces back
together, at least for now. I accept this decision for now,
reluctantly, primarily because of potential complications related to
the appearance of the wolf with the alpha male.
However, the urgency of reuniting the key individuals with each other
and their territory remains, as does the rationale for intervening in
a national park in this case to undo a major human-caused problem.
NPS should prepare to move quickly with the recommended effort in the
event that the prospects of reunification do not improve, especially
if the young female returns to the trapping area or isn't soon
observed at a kill or winter kill. This action should be taken even
if it means leaving the wolf accompanying the alpha male behind.
Meanwhile an emergency wolf hunting-trapping closure in still needed
in the Savage-Parks Highway area outside the northeast park boundary
to prevent further human-caused losses to Toklat and other groups of
Denali wolves through April 30. A larger northeast and east park
boundary buffer zone and related measures will be needed beyond that
to ensure adequate protection. I look forward to helping to prepare a
strong NPS/Interior Department appeal to the state on both counts.
posted by Denali Duffer | 3:40 PM
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