Yellowstone wolf dies in apparent turf battle

The wolf, known as Alpha Male 4, was the leader of the so-called Crystal Bench pack. This group, which occupies the Lamar Valley in northeastern Yellowstone, had been brought to the park in January 1995 from Canada as part of a controversial plan to relocate the predator in the northern Rocky Mountains.

On Monday, park officials received a signal from the wolf's special radio collar indicating the animal was dead. They found its body on Tuesday, near Soda Butte Creek in the Lamar Valley.

The precise cause of the death won't be known until a necropsy, or animal autopsy, is performed.

However, park biologists did find puncture wounds on the inside of the wolf's hind legs, suggesting that the wolf had been in a scrap with another wolf recently transplanted to the park.

Biologist Mike Phillips, who leads the Yellowstone wolf project, suspects that Alpha Male 4 may have run afoul of a male from the so-called Druid Peak pack, whose members were introduced early this year and had taken up territory in nearby area.

Park spokeswoman Cheryl Matthews told Outside Online that conflicts between packs aren't unusual among reintroduced wolves.

She said there have been similar disputes in other wolf reintroduction programs. "They are territorial predators," Matthews said.

The wolf's death puts an ironic twist on an already controversial issue. Ranchers are challenging the reintroduction program, arguing that the wolves will attack and kill livestock.

This story compiled by Outside Online staff