Some people think of Bison like domestic cattle. It is just not so. Bison move from pasture to pasture many times a day to allow the grass to regrow. They guard their young by forming picket lines when threatened by Bears or Wolves. They protect the carcasses of their dead comrades from being eaten by Bears and Wolves. They also perform funerals for their own that die. This video is an example of a bull Bison who in battle with another bull, during the rut, was killed instantly when his opponents horn landed in his skull killing him instantly. A day later the herd comes to the site of his death...

Our wolf puppies are afraid to cross the creek. Rick McIntyre (Author of The Rise of Wolf 8) says that wolf puppies just don't know they float and intuitively know how to dog paddle. Mothers and babysitters sometimes use toys, like a stick to get the puppies fixated on the toy, they then get them to chase them into the water after the stick. Note how the babysitter adult encourages the little black pup up the bank on the far shore. As always we film from a very long ways away. We would never do anything to disturb the wolves. Especially this swimming lesson. https://youtu.be/sBQAu06tnd4...

Wolf pups are born in April and after a few weeks they are big enough to start to venture out of the Den. They begin to explore their world under the watchful eyes of their mother or a volunteer babysitter. The one year olds love to be babysitters and play with the puppies. As June approaches they go on longer field trips again with guardians to watch over them. Eventually the puppies are moved to a rendezvous site where they can be feed more easily by the pack. As September approaches they are big enough to run with the pack. This video was filmed from 1.5 miles away. https://youtu.be/MhGpdJlo0n4 Next...

Wolves often test bison to see if one might be weak or injured. The wolf in the first clip, perhaps a two-year-old, from the Junction Butte pack, paws the ground and does a "play bow" appearing to taunt the bison to chase it, effectively luring it away from several young pups and a female pack-mate, probably a yearling, who has an injured left foot. Wolves know how close a bison can be to them before it becomes a danger. Once this bull crossed into the danger radius, the older wolf took action. A big bull like this doesn't have anything to fear from a single wolf but sometimes a bison will appear...

Rick McIntyre, author of The Rise of Wolf 8, notes that he has identified over 16 games wolves play. Maybe puppies play a little less structured games but they love to play. Also many adults and one year olds love to play with the puppies. These videos were recorded from over 1.5 miles away from the wolves. We would never get near the puppies which might interfere with an adult coming to feed the puppies. https://youtu.be/ZJHrvJ2yR74 Next Entry in Diary

Another season in Yellowstone. We are certainly grateful. Smoke in the air early from fires out west. It is such a pleasure to be able to watch the Junction Butte Puppies! Wolves in Yellowstone are usually pregnant by late January or early February. The pups are born in April after the mother has chosen her den. Like many myths about wolves the alphas are not the only ones to mate. The Junction Butte Pack had three mothers this year but two lost their litters to disease. The gray female 907F (the number of her collar) had 7-8 puppies. The puppies cannot regulate their own temperature at birth...

A new year in Yellowstone National Park. Here is a look back from 2019 with a Sow Grizzly nursing her two cubs. https://youtu.be/-l0RztiWs4g Next Entry in Diary