The Redemption of Wolf 302 by Rick McIntyre

Author:Rick McIntyre
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Greystone Books
Published: 2021-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

I HAD ALSO kept track of the Agate pack that spring and had seen that 472, their old alpha female, was pregnant. In late April, I saw the Agate wolves at a carcass when a grizzly came on the scene. The pack chased it, with former alpha male 113 in the lead. That was good to see, for it indicated the ten-year-old wolf felt well enough to harass the bear.

By early June, the Agates had moved their pups to a rendezvous site at Antelope Creek, about six miles south of Tower Junction. The location offered good visibility of the pack to park visitors. We counted eight Agate pups, and later a ninth pup was seen, a sign that more than one female in the pack had given birth. 113, who did not travel much anymore, spent a lot of time resting here. He served the pack by watching over the pups when the other adults were out on hunts. The pups, who would have been his grandchildren, liked to follow the elderly wolf around in single file. They often harassed nearby adults for food or play sessions, but they did not bother 113 and may have understood that his age and injury limited what he could do.

As I watched 113, I thought he seemed to be accepting of his lot in life. He was the founding alpha male of the Agate pack and had successfully raised many generations of pups. His adult son 383, the new alpha, treated him respectfully, as did all the other adults. I saw 383 return to the rendezvous site with a full stomach. He went straight to his father with a wagging tail and both males licked each other in the face. I took that as a sign of mutual affection.

In early September, I was watching the two gray female yearlings in the Agate pack: 693 and the 06 Female. The huskier one, 693, went to her sister and lunged at her for no apparent reason other than to intimidate her. 06 might have been smaller than her sister, but she would prove to be smarter, and years later I would see her get revenge on 693.

That fall there was an unfortunate incident in the Agate rendezvous site. Three people walked out toward the wolves to photograph them, even though the area was closed to the public. They went right up to alpha female 472 and two pups. She bark-howled at them, a call that warns pups and other pack members of danger. Despite her obvious distress, the people moved closer. We radioed the law enforcement rangers and they dealt with the disturbance. Each member of the party had to appear in the court at park headquarters. Human disturbance caused the Agates to abandon that rendezvous site and many thousands of park visitors lost their chance to see the wolves there.

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