The Gray Wolf

After an absence of more than 50 years, the gray wolf (Canis lupus) once again runs beneath the night skies of Yellowstone National Park. At 3:45 pm on March 21st, 1995, the first of three groups of gray wolves (also known as the timber wolf) were released from fenced acclimation pens at Crystal Creek within Yellowstone National Park The wolf release plan, involved in an environmental impact statement (EIS) in 1992-1994, is to restore wolves to Yellowstone and central Idaho by establishing experimental populations of gray wolves in both areas. The goal for Yellowstone is to establish 10 packs of wolves reproducing in the area for three consecutive years by the year 2002. Restoring wolves to Yellowstone is in keeping with national park goals to perpetuate all native species and their natural interactions with their environment. As with other park wildlife programs, management emphasizes minimizing a human impact on natural animal population dynamics. Yellowstone National Park is a wilderness and wildlife refuge in the United States.