I’ve been in the Park the last several days, the first time in well over a year. I didn’t expect to see wolves because their number is down and until Jan. 19 I hadn’t visited Lamar Valley. Yesterday I did show up in the Lamar just after mid-day. Using my “expert wolf spotting skills,” I quickly found an unusual mid-day collection of vehicles and people with spotting scopes. It had to be a major wolf appearance. It was!
Rick McIntyre filled me in, while his scope showed me a view similar to the famous acceptance of wolf 21M by the all female Druid Pack, way back in the day, although the actual interactions were not a new acceptance ritual.
The wolves were visible under some cottonwood about a half mile away — four Druid females, who had been without an alpha male in the pack, were facing a big black. healthy-looking male wolf. He actually had first appeared with the pack on December 2. Then on January 17, an equally glossy black fellow joined him. They are probably brothers. His apparent brother was bedded in the snow 50 yards away. The Druid females themselves were not the prettiest wolves because they suffer from mange. McIntyre told me it appeared to be mostly on their tails, but in fact had also infested some of their rears and bellies. Nevertheless, they are hanging on. The origin of the two fine black wolves is not known, but the one I saw with the females seems to have become the new alpha. The Druid alpha female is thought to be a wolf informally called “white line.”That wasn’t all that was going on. Some of the Hoodoo Pack from outside the Park in Wyoming had come calling. They are also two males, likely brothers. One is 682M. I snapped a photo of 682’s brother. They too were not far from the Druids.
Finally 2 gray brothers from the Mollies Pack had come up from the south and were hanging nearby. I didn’t see them.
The presence of all these males was probably due to it being wolf mating season, but the appearance of wolves ingressing from Wyoming is most unusual.
The mating season was probably the reason former long time Druid alpha male 480M had left his pack. The females were all his daughters and wolves do not like to mate with their offspring. 480M is apparently searching for a new opportunity in the area closer to Mammoth Hot Springs.
Note: this is a slightly revised story from the one I first posted Jan. 20. Rick McIntyre called and filled in a few details I had missed.
Comments
Ralph,
My hat is off to you for being able to spot the elusive signs of wolf activities–the Durango, the Tahoe, and the Suburban. Good work…~S~
When we were up in Yellowstone two summers back with some DOW folks, we were lucky to run into Rick (our guide was Nathan…? whose father used to be park super), and he was quite helpful and patient in helping us anticipate pack movement. We too witnessed an acceptance by some members of the Druids of either a new male, or one that had been absent for awhile, Rick wasn’t sure. It was interesting to see the same posturing, tail placement, head bowing that one sees in dogs as they greet newcomers. So much communication going on, and we are so ignorant of most of it. Glad you had a good day.
“He was presumably looking for a new mate because wolves don’t like to mate with their offspring.”
Funny that.
Thanks for sharing, Ralph – you were so lucky! We will be up there for Presidents’ Day – along with 50,000 other people. Hope to catch up on the new dynamics of the packs.
“He was presumably looking for a new mate because wolves don’t like to mate with their offspring.”
Funny that!
I take it you were in Lamar Valley, possibly near Soda Butte.
Oh Ralph, how jealous I am! I’m also confident those 4 Druid females know exactly what they have cut out for themselves and the future of the mighty Druids. They’ll “pretty up” when they need to–I just know it! You go girl!
Ralph, McIntyre say’s it is mostly confined to their tails. I’ve never heard or read of mange isolating it’s self to one part of the body. I know that from a distance it is usually the tail that tell’s the story. I know it has been discussed but I’ve never heard of full recovery without treatment in canines. I think it was in 08 when mange first appeared in YNP in wolves. Are some of these wolves you observed, part of that original group?
http://it.moldova.org/news/mange-found-in-yellowstone-wolves-33923-eng.html
Above article says 2007… Notice the comment: “In 1905, when wolves were considered a pest, wildlife officials in Montana began capturing wolves and coyotes, infecting them with mange and releasing them.”
When they were considered a pest-?
My understanding is that mange typically starts in the tail and hindquarters before spreading to the rest of the body. So I don’t follow McIntyre’s claim either but he certainly knows those wolves better than anybody.
I cannot WAIT to get there next Thursday!!!!
testing
Wish I would have known you were there Ralph! I was in the lot at “Hitching Post” most of the day.
Ralph, Si’vet
I wasn’t there of course to hear what Rick said, but I have watched the Druids a lot recently and my interpretation of his comment is that perhaps to his eye, (who sees them week to week and sometimes daily) he may be seeing some improvement in those specific Druids and that their worst affliction at the moment is in the tail area.
I would like to add, though, that like Si’vet, I always thought once a canine got mange, it was a slow death – no recovery possible without antibiotics. However, YNP now has absolute proof that SOME wolves can and do recover from mange – how they do so is unknown, but certain individuals have indeed recovered – in at least two packs – the Mollies and the Blacktails. It remains to be seen whether the Druids will recover or not. They are taxed with having it at the worst time of year – winter.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the adult Blacktails got it last Feb and were recovered by fall. Mollies had it earlier. I can attest that I saw 641M (Mollie) with mange in April 2009 – he is now recovered. Others, too, but I forget the numbers.
Glad you got to see wolf action, Ralph.
Does anyone have evidence of what type of mange that this is? And at what age are the wolves that are showing primary signs of the disease? Sarcoptic mange is what I would guess it to be or better know in humans as scabies. From memory 480 has a case of mange and at his age that would mean is unlikely that he has demodetic mange. If the wolves of Yellowstone have Sarcoptic then it is unlikly that full recovery is possible. Unless the extreme cold is such that the parasite is unable to survive. Or the wolf has a strong enough immune system to ward off said disease.
I would guess that YNP wolves have both types of mange. The pups are carries of the demodetic as with all canines which when put under stress could lead to outbreaks. Or the possiblity of a weakened immune system do to genetics and/or food resources leading to undernurishment. Demodex for short is a proven genetic defect in canines, and it is recommended in dogs that such dogs not be used as breeders.
A couple of factors at work here, but if demodex is that which is in YNP then good news for the wolves. They will likely overcome such cases. If sarcoptic is fould then death of the host would be the limiting factor controlling spread.
Wendy, I am not prowolf, but I am truly anti-mange. This type of suffering is wrong, I am not prowolf, but I am ashamed it was introduced. Not sure if this is the appropriate time, but let me go “on the record” the wolf packs in YNP are being humanized, whether most agree or not. When a tourist sticks a camera in a wolf ‘s ear and get’s bitten this does not count as a wolf attack, it will be blown sky high, please be prepared, buffalo, elk, kick the crap out of dumb sh__ts every year.
Spin, I am not absolutey positive I live very close to YNP and it has always been that damn sarcoptic mange.
Alan and Si’vet
Yes, at hitching post. Did I get the interaction right, Alan?
I thought wolves never were able to shake mange, but Mollies Pack did. One way this happens is the infected members of the pack freeze to death. Strong animals might just resist it.
My guess is an infected animal is infected to some degree all over, but the itching varies as well as accessibility. So the tail gets chewed on.
Too bad “True Grit:Jon Marvel” comments are off. ahh ralph!
I turned it off because the thread would be a long series of praises and expressions of anger — useless, in my opinion. I like threads where it seems folks learn something by talking with each other.
Ya, I know.
I would like to know if anyone knows of what type of mange the GYP wolves would have as Spin states above, -good question.
ie, any studies anymore, of the different types of mange that is happening in GYP.
It is sarcoptic mange.
Does anyone know if it is sarcoptic mange that the Grand Teton/National Elk wolf refuge packs have too? We are seeing some nasty cases down here too. But I have wondered what type of mange it is.
It would seem to follow they have the same type…but I would love to be certain of such.
oops I mean of course the “national elk refuge wolf packs” sorry about the typo
Someone emailed me telling me about the mange in Jackson Hole.
I assume it is sarcoptic mange. Demodectic mange is not that contagious.
This is kind of the revenge of the early 20 th Century Montana government who introduced the infestation as a way of killing wolves and coyotes.
The federal government might do well to trap these wolf packs and treat them with ivermectin or a similar drug. Wyoming doesn’t have a lot of wolf packs to spare, especially given the drop in the Yellowstone population.
If it continues to spread and there is a lot of mortality, the state could drop below the required number of breeding pairs of wolves.
Thanks Ralph for sharing your wolf viewing news. It’s so good to hear of them living their lives in Yellowstone, free from bullets. The mange though is a curse.
http://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com
Just a side note if we manage wolves by “control killing” why can’t we control giving them by antibiotics it is still control isn’t it ?
It takes up to 3 doses of ivermectin to successfully treat mange in canids so those wanting wolves to be caught and treated should be aware they would need to be caught 3 times.
wonder how the wolves are doing in the FC as far as mange is concerned and would that be part of the research…Mark G?
To treat wolves, they would have to be captured, penned and treated for several weeks.
Actually, depending on the time between doses, they could be penned, like they were in the beginning, but the stress may be too much for them to bear. But maybe stress is more easily overcome than mange?
Didn’t know scabies was deliberately introduced, Ralph. The more I learn, the more I wish I didn’t know about humans and what they are capable of.
Ralph, that email was from me, thanks for the info folks have shared here.
The wolves and coyotes are all pretty badly infected here near Jackson, particularly the Antelope Pack of wolves and the coyotes near Teton Village. Is anyone else is seeing as much mange as I am? I have not seen much of the Pinnacle peak pack on the elk refuge lately although I know other folks have, are folks seeing mange with them? I am making an effort to keep track of the spread, particularly with the breeding seasons in full swing.
JimT
That was the law of the land about 100 years ago, it in no way reflects current thinking..and yes, I agree, some humans are capable of the most vile behavior, but not all
Keep the dialog going. Education will save the wolves. For ignorance to remain rampant, would be their demise.
Hmmm, not sure I agree about capturing and treating YNP’s infected wolves with antibiotics. Same reason I would not agree with the sometimes-discussed attempts to temporarily capture and treat bison for brucellosis.
If the roundup missed one infected animal, mange could resurface again in several years. And what about coyotes, foxes or other potential hosts?
I guess, especially now that we’ve seen some animals survive it, perhaps it would be better in the long term for the population to suffer through it, leaving stronger individuals to prosper. It is heartbreaking to watch the Druids stand up to sleep because without fur it is too cold for them to lie down on snow. But I tend to mistrust short-term decisions when it comes to wild populations.
A little off-topic but wolf-related.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34979410?GT1=43001
Wendy,
There is no doubt mange will remain in the area, and will reinfect, although not necessarily the same wolf packs.
The presence of mange in the Greater Yellowstone shows the wisdom of reintroducing wolves into central Idaho as well as the Park. You don’t put all your eggs in one pot, as the old saying goes. To be more current, you don’t keep all your data on one hard drive.
Ralph, I agree that the wolves should be treated for mange. However, I’m not sure it’s that involved. As I’ve told other wolfwatchers, I rescued a siberian husky who had sarcoptic mange. A single dose of ivermectin and another drug (can’t recall the name) to relieve itching was all it took. I know this sounds silly, but it seems that at a minimum lacing weiners is better than nothing. Allowing the suffering is unconscienoble.
Connie,
I think if this works (one shot), the Yellowstone Park and Grand Teton Park wolves should be treated whenever they are handled, such as radio collared. It is clearly not park policy to pull a stuck bison out of a mud hole, splint an elk with a broken leg, or help a wolf that is injured. Native diseases are a fact of true wildlife. In fact that is one way predators and prey come into balance.
However, mange is like knapweed. It is not native. Active efforts to control knapweed, dalmation toadflax, and other invasives are underway in the Park. Of course, cost has to be compared to benefit including environmental costs.
Brucellosis is not a native disease. The opposition to Montana DOL’s past plans to deal with that disease were not based on any support for brucellosis, but the extremely crude, ineffective and intrusive, and single-minded methods used and proposed.
dailyjacksonhole- mange in coyotes in and around Sun Valley and along the Lemhi river is bad. I have seen more mange in the last 3 yrs. than in the previous ten yrs. in Idaho, almost like you could draw a line at about the 45th parallel, south. Sad deal.
gline –
I have heard no reports of mange in wolves in the FC.
Save Bears,
That it is still a problem decades later, still persisting in an environment that has been wolf free for a long time, is testament to the lasting effect of this kind of behavior. Since then, we had and have poisoning, aerial gunnings and trapping. Tell me how these are kinder and gentler ways of dealing with wildlife.
I was consulting my veterinary handbook last night, and invectin is by no means without risks, especially to certain breeds of dog who suffer from scabies/sarcoptic mange. So, wolf biologists might need to monitor the wolves..if anything like this went forward. That is why I asked about the pens, and the stress vs, the treatment.
JimT
I–or more accurately, my dog– participated in a study of ivermectin sensitivity a few years ago. Some breeds (my dog is a German shepherd) have a high incidence of sensitivity to the drug and can die after receiving a standard dose. The study found that this type of sensitivity was genetic; that is, dogs with a particular gene were sensitive, those without were not. Not sure if these gene is a problem for wolves?
– – – –
FYI for dog owners:
Ivermectin is also used as a generic wormer (it is the active ingredient in the name-brand products used to treat/prevent heart worms). Personally, I buy the Ivermectin for cattle and deliver it via a 1ml syringe (you just squirt it into the dog’s mouth). I paid $55 dollars for the bottle, which will probably last about 8 years (for one dog). So I figure I’ll save $1000+ over the life span of my dog not buying name-brand wormer, which costs about $100/per year.
JB,
Don’t know, I think Shepards was one of the breeds listed as possibly having some issues, and it is a general opinion..though I don’t know if it is accurate, that the Nordic breeds..Shepards, Huskies, Malamutes, are thought to have a genetic make up closer to the wolf’s than most other breeds that have been domesticated now for thousands of years.
I used Frontline Plus for flea and tick control, and Heartguard Plus for heartworms, tapeworms, etc. My dogs have never had any reactions, either at the application site, or internally, so I guess I tend to stay with what works….there are several new formulations for these problems that have come out, but I tend to wait until they have been “field tested” before considering them, no matter how much the PR folks tout them.
It will be interesting if anyone associated with the wolves are reading this blog, and are investigating the possibility of treating the wolves for mange. The problem is that it doesn’t give immunity, so you may limit mange, but I doubt we can eliminate it even with an agressive program. Still, worth a shot, especially as Ralph pointed out, it is a non native invasive, not something you would expect a species to eventually develop resistence to if it was part of the ecosystem.
Mark Gamblin and Si’vet
Thanks for the mange reports, it sounds very widespread lately, more so than it has in the past. Anyone else seeing mange in their areas?
With all the wolves and coyotes mixing around with breeding it will likely be worse come march.
Mark, JB Jim whomever..Is mange less prevelant the farther North you go. I’ve seen video shot in the deep South, and it looks like it can wipe out huge areas. Would the cold weather stress kill more animals quicker, so it is more difficult to pass, or just the cold in general that may hold it a little more at bay, if it is less prevalant in colder climates. Has mange been an issue, with the Mex wolves in the warmer climates?
I have to wonder, only because I have seen others ask when it concerns non-native species, such as horses, when does it become native? How long does it take? An for Pete’s don’t take this as if I want the wolves, coyotes, or any other animal suffer from the effect of mange, just thinking out loud here…
My vet handbook doesn’t cover the environmental issues. Seeing how they are mites, I suspect they are subject to issues such as cold and drought, but keep in mind, some of these insects can go dormant for years and then become viable when conditions are favorable.
Interesting question, though.
As for native…I am not sure how something becomes native. Maybe when it displaces what was before it? When the affected species develop resistance, or mechanisms to fight the culprit? I gather part of the reason the beetle kill was so bad is that some of the defense mechanisms of the trees have been harmed by drought, the resultant stress as well as the benefit to the beetles of the warmer winters.
I have a request in question form to of the worlds leading researchers in scabies. I haven’t heard back from her yet, but generally we speak with her once or twice per week. I had asked her some basic questions about the disease and also about the use of ivermectin. The last time I saw her we also spoke about mange in the YNP wolves and she did suggest the possiblity of treatment. Her thought at the time was using “raw meat balls” laced with ivermectin. As soon as I hear back I will post her thoughts. If you would like to research her work you could google Dr. Terri Meinking.
It would be great if you could put her in touch with Doug Smith through the Yellowstone Institute….
The problem with her approach is randomness and possibility that all the wolves wouldn’t get dosed. I will be interested in her response, especially on the possibility or impossibility of eradicating the disease.
Even if treating the wolves was advisable or feasible, you’d have to treat all the coyotes, foxes, and feral dogs in the area too to avoid their suffering and the risk of them exposuring untreated wolves. If they have to be confined for subsequent treatments then we’re talking Noah’s Ark 2010.
Spinn71982,
It will be good hear what you learn from Dr. Meinking. Certainly, the meatball approach would be less stressful for the wolves than capture and handling. Even if all are not treated, it would give relief for some and perhaps make the disease less infectious. BTW, a fellow wolfwatcher told Doug Smith about my experience with my mangey siberian husky, so I know ivermectin has been discussed.
CC,
Limiting the number of potential vectors would help and since the wolves interact with their own pack more often than prey, it would be very helpful to the packs to slow the disease. From what I saw in the Lamar, the coyotes will do just about anything to avoid the wolves, and with good reason. Same with feral dogs. Scabies/sarcoptic mange is incredibly contagious, and really the worst of the manges, but it takes direct contact to transmit it. So, I think treating the packs is worth the effort. Of course, the states will disagree; they will probably just see this as another way to reduce wolf numbers and they don’t take the political hit for it; “nature does.”.
I once played a wolf howling CD for my Labs…their ears went back flat, coats ruffed,, tails down, eyes wide and a little back in their heads, and they howled briefly, but then left the room running. VBG…I felt so bad I never played it again..
I truly hope those individuals who make the decisions regarding YNP wolves do decide to be proactive in regard to treating this mange. It would be a terrible shame to possibly face the demise of the Druids – as well as all the other packs
Hmm, well I suppose I have been mistaken, or perhaps misunderstood what I had been told, because I thought mange WAS a “native” disease that affected wild canid populations, just fairly uncommon. I knew about the deliberate introduction of it decades ago but I thought that dreadful policy acted as an accelerator on an already existing situation.
Does it make sense that the infected mites could stay in the ecosystem for so long, especially while wolves were largely absent from YNP? Is it possible that another strain was
re-introduced sometime after the YNP wolves settled into their current territories? Scientifically I mean – not trying to stir up a conspiracy discussion.
I just want to add that the wolves of Yellowstone will survive this. It doesn’t really seem to kill off entire pack, but it has spread south to Grand Teton National Park. It seems to becoming more generalized.
By far the most wolf mortality inside YNP is other wolf packs.
jimT not direct,direct contact, sarcoptic can survive without a host for days. A kill visited by a coyote or wolf can transmit. Wendy, it doesn’t have to survive in the ecosystem, just on a host. Bad deal. Ralph’s right there will be survivors, but they will be almost assuredly carrying hosts.
be carrying hosts.
I need to read more about the life cycle of this mite, obviously.
I always thought direct contact was saliva exchange or food, not carrion-based.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has had good success at treating louse infestations in wolves by dropping oral doses of Ivermectin around den sites. So the treatment method is available but I don’t know whether mange is harder to treat than lice.
Thanks Ralph.
Si’vet, I guess I think of a carrying host as part of the ecosystem, no? At least a wild host.
If you don’t mind, could you (or someone) be more specific about the possible transfer mechanism for the mite at a wolf kill visited by a coyote? As an example outside direct body contact, I mean. Thanks
Hi
I am new to this site. I was interested in animal behavior during these swarms of earthquakes yellowstone is having. Do you think this unusual siting and the area that they were found could be a result of the earthquakes. Im sad to hear about the mange, It’s a painful way to go. However That makes me think these animals are not taking care of themselves as they should be. Could all of this be related to the earthquake activity. Maybe their on the run and not able to do proper grooming.
Im a novice looking to learn.
Let me add I understand that mange happens! But is it possible that stress due to things accurring in their area could result in higher than normal infection.
I’m really interested in their movement during this recent swarm of earthquakes.
Crappiekat,
No I don’t. This sighting was unusual because there were so many wolves near the road in the middle of the day after a winter when the wolves have been seen less because their numbers are way down.
Probably because of a reduced wolf population in the Park, the Hoodoo Pack males had come in from the east in Wyoming.
I didn’t mention in my story that this was seen mostly from the “hitching post” area (informal name given by wolf watchers). It is a usual spot to survey the landscape for wolves.
I was walking around in the Park when the earthquake swarm began. I didn’t sense the quakes.
MFW season summary on wolves mentioned that two had ” a slight case of mange”. Did not say were those two were shot however
Did not say were those two were shot however
Im not sure if you had spelling problems or what? Could you explain your response?
The herding breeds of dogs are most sensitive to ivermectin I think. Collies, Border Collies, Shelties, etc.
I have read that one treatment of Ivomec can cure sarcoptic mange.
Has it been determined by veterinary diagnsis that it is indeed sarcoptic and not demodectic mange?
Some scientists now believe the sarcoptic mange mite is not as species specific as it was once believed. If true, bears, raccoons, fox, rabbit, etc are all at risk to the mange mite if not controlled in the park.
Do elk or other ungulates suffer from mange, if so, the park better get with the program or everyone will be unhappy whether they are pro or anti wolf.
Having lived in the Rocky Mtn area for most of my life, I have not seen alot of sarcoptic mange, it used to be a disease we saw mostly in the wetter/warmer states.
However heartworm and mange dogs are moved to our area on a regular basis now and thus the reports for these types of problems are on the rise.
Hayseed,
This is from the Park’s 2008 report. Yes. Sarcoptic mange.
“Sarcoptic mange, a skin infection resulting in hair
loss caused by the mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, became increasingly prevalent within the park in 2008. Although quite common among wolves outside the park, the disease was not detected in the park until two years ago. At the end of 2008, at least one member in seven packs/groups appeared to be infected.”
Have they done any research on where the mange originated? Or maybe that is impossible to do. But reading articles it seems it is very common in foxes. I wonder how frequent sarcoptic mange is seen in this part of the country in wild canids, etc.
I did find an article or two that states ungulates can also be infected w/sarcoptic mange mites, so bison and elk, etc. could also become infected in the park. Hope the powers in charge figure out that it is important to control diseases that are communicable. The park is “wild” per se but with so many people invading the animals territory, disease is sure to be introduced again and again.
Getting the fact out that elk herds could be affected, and that the wolf may not be the species that introduced it, would be important?
hayseed,
Yes. We discussed this here the other day. Mange was deliberately introduced to try to kill off wolves. That was back in the early 1900s,
Someone even posted a photocopy of an old Texas newspaper that wrote about how successful the introduction of mange was going to be.
I had read those posts, but guess I didn’t put 2 and 2 together, that it wasn’t here at all until then, and that is has survived passing from animal to animal since then. So, since it is an introduced problem, the park should be able to treat for it?
I read that the Druids are down to 4 members, 2 of which have bad cases of mange. Whether or not the treat them now seems a moot point as their demise seems certain.