Draft:The White Lady (wolf)

The White Lady (2005 - 2017), also identified as the longtime dominant breeding female of Yellowstone National Park's Canyon Pack, was a female gray wolf. She was notable, just like her mother (wolf 540F) for being an white-colored wolf and being the lead female of the Canyon Pack with her black mate, wolf #712M, from 2008 to 2017. On April 11 2017, The White Lady was illegally shot and lethally injured inside the national park. This provoked a lot of reactions, suggestions and concerns from many parties and organizations after the National Park Service alongside the Yellowstone Wolf Project confirmed in May 2017 that the popular white female wolf was found by a hiker with labored breathing (due to being shot), and that after the wolf project examined her state, she had to be euthanized.

The Hayden Valley Pack
The Hayden Valley pack formed in 2003 when a pair of uncollared wolves were sighted. A trait noted about the members of this pack were that all wolves were very light in color (light gray) or almost white.

The Hayden Pack always managed to survive in the Hayden Valley withstanding harsh winters and elk wintering outside of their home range. The stable but small pack size and small litters produced each spring throughout their existence might have been influenced by their habitat.

By 2006, White Lady's mother had long been reknown for her white pelage amongst the park visitors. Furthermore, the easily accessible Hayden Valley (the core of the pack territory) permitted thousands of visitors to see and enjoy the park wolves, sometimes to the point of creating "wolf jams".

However, habituation to humans and the possibility of visitors having fed this oftenly sighted pack led the National Park Service and the Yellowstone Wolf Project to begin an hazing process [correcting wolf(wolves) behavior in multiple manners to break certain behaviors that can be dangerous and/or hazardous for the safety of people and for their own safety].

An other impact of the close proximity/habituation/potential feeding of wolves by humans was the collaring of the breeding pair #540F and #541M. This served as a purpose to track the movements of the pack amongst others, but also to study how their relations with the park roads and people.

Birth (April 2005)
The White Lady was born in the Hayden Valley Pack in April of 2005 to wolves #540F and #541M.

The dominant breeding female, White Lady's Mother, wolf #540F (collared in 2006), was born in the Nez Perce Pack in 2000 to the light gray wolf #48F & #72M.

540F's mate, wolf #541M (collared in 2006), was born in the Swan Lake Pack in 2001 to gray wolves #152F and #206M.

Hayden Pack breeding season and the first for the White Lady (Spring 2007)
In the breeding season of 2007, The White Lady, now nearly two years old female, bred with a black interloper (a male from outside the pack, which typically do not remain in the area after copulating).

Her mother (540F) bred her father (541M).

The denning season followed and that year, members and/or volunteers of the Wolf Project recorded two firsts in this pack history : The birth of two litters of pups and the birth of a black-colored wolf. ****

The White Lady gave birth to 1 black pup (wolf 638M) from her mating with the black interloper, which was later found to be the 4 year old black male later known as 495M from the Mollie's Pack. This particular male would lead the Mollie's Pack from 2009 to 2011.

White Lady's parents (540F & 541M) gave birth to 4 gray pups that same year. ***

[A gray-colored pair of wolves "can't" produce a black wolf (the dominant coat gene) while a gray-black pair can produce a gray or black and black-black can produce a gray or a black] [b = gray, B = black | B is dominant, b is not-dominant] [Gray-Gray [bb x bb] = "100%" gray pups | Gray-Black [1st] [bb x Bb] : bB, bb, bB, bb = "50% gray, 50% black" | Gray-Black [2nd] [bb x BB] : "100% black" [bB, bB, bB, bB] | Black-Black [1st] [Bb x Bb] : BB, Bb, Bb, bb = 75% black, 25% gray | Black-Black [2nd] [BB x Bb] : BB, Bb, BB, Bb = 100 % black | Black-Black [3rd] [BB x BB] : BB 100 %]

Conflicts with the Mollie's Pack and Others (Summer-End of 2007)
During 2007, the much larger Mollie's Pack (both in terms of numbers of wolves and the size of wolves) began invading the Hayden's Territory to expand their territory and hunting grounds. This invasion, marked with multiples interactions between the two packs (ex : howling, bark-howling, scent marking, etc) peaked on October 30 2007.

Both of White Lady's parents, 541M and 540F, were killed by the rival pack.

The loss of the breeding pair sent the remaining members running for their lives, with no territory.

Of these, a female and 4 pups (including White Lady's black pup 638M) were known to have escaped/survived. However, one pup is suggested to have died in a clash with the large Gibbon Meadows Pack.

The Canyon Group (2008)
The White Lady entered the 2008 breeding season (late january - start of march with peak activity in mid-february) alone.

Two males from the Mollie's Pack soon joined the White Lady: wolf #587M (a 6 year old gray male) and a 2 year old black male.

Shortly afterwards, another gray male, most likely from Mollie's, joined the group. The latter was would be known as "Limper" by wolf watchers.

The White Lady gave birth to two pups in 2008, but none survived to year end. The group spend most of their time in the general area of the Hayden Pack former territory.

2009


In february 2009, the black male wolf was collared as wolf #712M, and was recognized as the mate of the White Lady.

The pack's core territory remained in the Hayden Valley area although they ranged up north to Mammoths Hot Springs.

They denned in the latter area in late april and the wolf project, after documenting the activity patterns of the pack, cautiously and preventively haze them when they were appeared in the developed areas of Mammoth or road developments. Aswell, they closed the trails and den area to human access.

Such actions taken by the wolf team was/are to prevent human-wolf habituation possible problems and also human disturbance of pups and wolves at dens.

In the summer of 2008, the pack frequently travelled the road in Hayden Valley and approached vehicles. This was never observed in the summer of 2009, suggesting an efficient hazing procedure and wolf management, which caused a behavior change in the pack's wolves.

The Canyon Pack as a result of these actions, relocated back to their core summer range territory (Hayden) in the middle of May. The only surviving pup was noticed with the pack after returning to Hayden Valley. The pup is suggested to have died in the summer. Wolf #587M, an old member of the pack left in 2009, leaving the pack to only 3 adults : White Lady (F), 712M (M) and the uncollared gray male [that wolfwatchers tend or would tend to name "Limper"].

note : The wolf experts did not notice pups back at the den before, therefore, how many pups were born in the litter is unknown, but at least 1

2010
The pack comprised of the same 3 adults (The White Lady and the 2 male wolves) until the birth of White Lady's litter of pups, of which 3 survived to the end of year. This marked the first time that the pack successfully raised pups to year-end (from birth in april to december 31), having failed to do so in 2008 & 2009.

They were subject to wolf management early in the year, when they hunted elk in the Mammoth Hot Springs (a developed area).

They denned near the Hayden Valley Pack old densite in the Hayden Valley and offered thousands of visitors great viewing opportunities from the roads in the summer and fall, while the wolf management staff ensured the safety of both parties by closing areas near the den and rendez-vous sites. They followed wintering elk back on the Northern Range with winter.

2011


As quoted in the 2011 Yellowstone Wolf Project Annual Report : "As in previous years, the Canyon pack was one of the most visible and habituated packs in the park in 2011".

Furthermore, it noted that the pack is still led by the uncollared white female [White Lady] and 712M.

After 4 years (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011) the yearly movements dynamics of the pack is predictable; they winter in Mammoth and spent the remaining seasons in Hayden.

The White Lady had 3 pups in 2011. Two out of three survived to year-end (a female pup was killed by the Blacktail Deer Plateau Pack in December).

One of her daughter born in 2010 had to be hazed several times after showing some signs of human habituation, after she was seen being fed by visitors in the spring.

The pack at year end consisted of the White Lady, 712M, 3 other wolves aged 1 or above and 2 pups for a count of 7 wolves.**

2012
In 2012, the pack is still led by the aging black male 712M (6 years old) and the uncollared white female [White Lady] (7 years old) and these two wolves were again referred as two of the most commonly seen wolves by park visitors and staff.

The pair gave birth to two gray pups.

The pack is almost continuously monitored by the staff because of their high tolerance and frequent proximity to visitors.

The pack consisted at year-end of The White Lady and her black mate 712M, black female 831F (yearling daughter), 3 other wolves aged 1 or above and 2 pups.

White Lady's longtime mate, wolf 712M, was recollared in the spring of 2012. A black female (831F) born in the pack in 2011 was also collared that spring.

2013


In 2013, The White Lady and 712M had 3 pups, all of which survived to year-end.

The pack numbers fluctuated throughout the year with the black female 831F dying, an uncollared black female going missing in the breeding season and an uncollared gray female having potentially joined the Blacktail Deer Plateau Pack.

At year-end, the pack consisted of The White Lady and her mate 712M, 3 other wolves aged 1 or above and 3 pups for a count of 8 wolves.

2014
For the first time in the Canyon's Pack history, the pack did not produce pups.

The White Lady and her mate 712M continued to lead the pack as it dwindled down to only 3 wolves at year-end : White Lady (9 years old), 712M (8 years old) and another wolf aged 1 or above.

Many wolves in the pack dispersed or died during the year (as the year-end counts of 8 wolves in 2013 implies). It is to note that only wolf #712M had a radio-collar and that uncollared wolves are harder to locate and identify.

A light gray adult female born in the pack joined wolf #755M and they formed the "755M's Group" which would be also be known as the "Wapiti Lake Group"

Wolf 755M, a black wolf born in 2008, was the founding lead male of the Lamar Canyon Pack and the mate of the famous O-Six female (832F).

2015


The pack breeding pair, White Lady and 712M, gave birth to at least 2 pups, as observations of the pack in October 2015 numbered at least 2 of them.

The pack territory shifted closer to the Old Faithful geyser basin. This is possibly in response to the growth of a neighboring pack related to them : The Wapiti Lake Pack, which consist of 712M-White Lady's 5 years old daughter, 755M and their 4 pups of 2015.

The Canyon Pack consisted at year-end of the longtime breeding pair (White Lady and 712M), 2 other wolves aged 1 or above and 2 pups.

2016
In 2016, as 712M's radio-collar battery malfunctioned, the wolf team relied on sightings and camera-traps to monitor the pack and estimate their numbers.

The aging leaders were still The White Lady and her black mate 712M.

However, the only pup seen with the pack that year might not have been theirs as suggested by the annual report.

The pack consisted of The White Lady, her mate 712M, 3 other wolves aged 1 or above and 1 gray pup at the latest observation of the pack in 2016.

2017 - Death & Dissolution
In the spring of 2017, the White Lady was nearing twelve years of age [the oldest wolves recorded in Yellowstone National Park all reached 12 years of age] and had difficulties keeping up with the pack. On april 11 2017, she was illegally shot inside the national park and suffered lethal injuries. She was found shortly afterwards by a person who contacted the wolf project, reporting an injured wolf. The staff, after assessing that her injuries were extremely severe and fatal, decided to euthanize her.

Her longtime mate, wolf #712M, disappeared after her death and the sightings of the remaining Canyon members ceased by the end of the summer.

Only one uncollared female remained and she paired with an uncollared black male. Unfortunately, the pair travelled north of Yellowstone National Park in the winter, and were harvested in Montana's Management Unit 390 during the wolf hunt.

This marked the end of the nearly 10 years tenure of the pack.

Legacy


The uncollared gray female born to The White Lady and 712M in 2010, formed the Wapiti Lake Pack in late 2014 with 755M. Her coat, just like her mother and grand-mother, lighten with age [Some gray colored wolves coats lighten with age; the same applies to some black wolves, like 712M, whose black coat grayed with age, ressemblant of an old black dog coat]. She led the pack from 2014 until she went missing in the middle of 2021. A large number of wolves descends from the Wapiti Lake White "Alpha" Female, and many of them formed their own packs or joined existing packs as breeders.

The current lead female of the Wapiti Lake pack is the grand-daughter of the White Lady.

The Wapiti Lake Pack is one of the many packs of the national park being currently monitored.

References i will use for sure

 * 1) Smith et al.(2005).
 * 2) Smith et al.(2006).
 * 3) Smith et al.(2007).
 * 4) Smith et al.(2008).
 * 5) Jimenez et al.(2009).
 * 6) Smith et al.(2009).
 * 7) Jimenez et al.(2010).
 * 8) Smith et al.(2010).
 * 9) Jimenez et al.(2011).
 * 10) Smith et al.(2011).
 * 11) Jimenez et al.(2012).
 * 12) Smith et al.(2012).
 * 13) Smith et al.(2013).
 * 14) Smith et al.(2014).
 * 15) Smith et al.(2015).
 * 16) Jimenez et al.(2016).
 * 17) Smith et al.(2016).
 * 18) Smith et al.(2017).
 * 19) Smith et al.(2018).
 * 20) Smith et al.(2019).
 * 21) Cassidy et al.(2020).
 * 22) Halfpenny et al. (2020).
 * 23) Schweizer et al.(2020).
 * 24) Smith et al.(2020a).
 * 25) Smith et al. (2020b).
 * 26) Smith et al. (2020c).
 * 27) Stahler et al.(2020a).
 * 28) Stahler et al.(2020b).
 * 29) Varley et al. (2020).
 * 30) Cassidy et al. (2021).
 * 31) Cassidy et al. (2022).
 * 32) SunderRaj et al. (2022).
 * 33) Vonholdt et al. (2022).
 * 34) Yellowstone National Park Service. 2017.