Biologists Find Third Wolf Litter

The Chamberlain Basin in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness is the home for the third litter of wolf pups found this spring by Nez Perce tribal biologists.

The tribe and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been watching several pairs of adults that were released into central Idaho during the past two winters.

Tribal biologists previously confirmed pups were born to pairs along the Selway River and in the Landmark area southeast of McCall.

The Selway litter, which was confirmed in mid-July, was the first documented in Idaho since a report of a litter by government trapper Leo Twitchell in 1916.

The Chamberlain Basin has been a hot spot for reports of wolves for decades, however.

Biologists have been concentrating on the pairs that have formed since 35 animals were brought south from Canada in January 1995 and 1996.

Tribal biologist Curt Mack said the latest litter was spotted by biologist Timm Kaminski in an area that had been frequented by a pair for several months.

“He found a rendezvous site and got lucky enough to see two pups,” Mack said.

Mack said a University of Idaho team is on the Clearwater National Forest northeast of Pierce trying to track down whether a pair near Kelly Creek has produced pups.

Next week, Mack said he expects other teams to research whether pairs in the Stanley Basin, the Yellowjacket area near Salmon and the Bighole National Battlefield area of southwestern Montana have litters.

The tracking is part of the federal reintroduction program.

The goal of the releases is to establish 10 breeding pairs. Fish and Wildlife expects to take wolves off the endangered species list in Idaho after that.