Canadian Wolves Being ‘Pleasantly Boring’ Wolves Released In Idaho Settling, Staying Out Of Trouble

One is dead and another headed north, but 13 other Canadian wolves released in central Idaho in mid-January are doing fine and apparently are staying out of trouble.

“We’re pleasantly surprised with how well things have gone,” said Ted Koch, Boise-based leader of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s wolf recovery project in Idaho. “They’re being pleasantly boring.”

The radio-collared wolves have spread out, Koch said, “and it’s amazing how they’re showing up in areas where wolves have been reported over the years.”

The new wolves have made it to such far-flung places as Bear Valley, Lost Trail Pass, Elk City, Lolo Pass, and the Selway River near Moose Creek. Koch said they may have been drawn by habitat or by scent trails left by earlier wild wolves.

One of the imported wolves was shot to death on private land near Salmon, probably on Jan. 29. A dead calf was found nearby, but the Fish and Wildlife Service said an autopsy revealed the wolf did not kill the calf.

Another wolf headed north - out of radio range - shortly after its release. Koch believes it made its way to Montana or Canada.

“Our experience is that these wolves make long runs to the north or east, and all but that one has turned around and come back,” he said.

Another wandering wolf was spotted one mile south of Interstate 90, about 40 miles east of Missoula, Mont.

At least three males and females paired off after the release, but no pups were born to the wolves transplanted in Idaho this year, Koch said. Two of the couples paired off too late, and the stress of capture, transport, and release may have been too much for the third couple to produce any offspring.

Koch said it was only a minor disappointment because most observers felt it would take two to three years for successful breeding.