Transplanted Wolves Breeding In Park

At least five and possibly six of the eight wolf packs freed in Yellowstone National Park in the last two years have denned and probably given birth to litters of pups, federal biologists say.

One, the Rose Creek pack, includes the alpha female wolf that gave birth to eight pups near Red Lodge, Mont., after its mate was illegally killed.

If the litters survive, they could nearly double the current number of 34 wolves in and around the national park, putting the federal wolf recovery program as many as three years ahead of schedule.

Three of the new dens are on the national park’s northern range, while two others are far outside the park on or near private land in Montana. Another possible den sits deep inside national forest wilderness near the park’s northern boundary.

Biologists have not inspected each den.