Easily the most controversial animal in Greater Yellowstone, the gray wolf also has the most impact. Eradicated from the ecosystem by the 1920s, canis lupus was restored to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995. Today, with a population estimated to be about 1,650; wolves roam Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.  Reintroduction has become one of the great conservation success stories in American history.

No where on the planet are wolves more visible than in Greater Yellowstone. They have been seen by humans every day in Yellowstone National Park for nearly a decade. Today, as wolves have expanded their range and territory beyond the park’s boundaries, there is a chance of encountering wolves in most places in the ecosystem.

As a keystone species, the wolf has dramatically altered the ecology of the park and surrounding lands in decidedly positive ways.  Willows, cottonwoods, and aspen have begun to regenerate for the first time in 80 years with a cascade of benefits for songbirds, small mammals, and cutthroat trout.

As of December 2009, there were at least 96 wolves in 14 packs in Yellowstone National Park.  Wolf numbers within the park have declined somewhat in the past two years largely due to disease and inter-pack conflicts.  Park biologists believe the wolf population has tested its carrying capacity and may begin to cycle with game populations.

The lethal removal of a wolf approaching people for food handouts in May 2009 was the first in the park since reintroduction.

By the end of 2008, roughly 450 wolves roamed the entire Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  The first legal wolf hunts in the lower 48 took place in 2009.  72 wolves were killed by hunters in Montana.  Idaho extended its hunting season until March 2010 with a set quota of 220 wolves.

Best viewing: Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley, Blacktail Ponds, Mammoth, Jackson Hole, National Elk Refuge.