In an effort to eventually kill the antelope, the wolf repeatedly bites at it.
Andrea Baratte, a wildlife guide for Yellowstone Adventure Tours, is 35 years old and saw this amazing and unusual sighting. Andrea sent LatestSightings.com with this unique video and her personal tale.
“I was telling visitors that I’ve always wanted to witness a kill since I find the biological interaction between wolves and elks to be fascinating. I caught sight of a black wolf pursuing an elk as I turned to the left.
More pack members were nearby, but they didn’t feel safe being so near the road. They decide against pursuing. It was amazing how the elk was killed by just two wolves! One gray wolf and one black wolf.
The environment of Yellowstone is significantly impacted by wolves and other large carnivores. There were no wolves or other big predators in the park prior to 1995. Elk and other herbivores as a result of this overpopulation began destroying their own habitat. Elk spend more time near streams than they did browsing a range of plants when they were not under threat from predators. This resulted in erosion and a significant number of other problems, including a decrease in the number of trees, and a cascade effect was seen. Fish, amphibian, and reptile species declined as a result of rising water temperatures.
Elk numbers have reduced since wolves and other large predators were reintroduced, which has allowed the riparian environment to recover. The water has cooled and erosion is now under control. Additionally, this stunning ecosystem is now home to a variety of birds, reptiles, fish, and frogs.
To prevent the remainder of the pack from being disturbed by the road’s traffic, “the rangers dragged the elk kill farther away from the road.”