Yellowstone National Park has been a world-class destination for wildlife viewing since its original protection in 1872. While people usually visit to check out the stunning geothermal features and remarkable geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, the animals are often the highlight of guest’s visits.
The nature of these wildlife experiences has changed quite a bit overtime. Once upon a time, Yellowstone’s bears had easy access to park garbage dumps and were often fed by park staff and visitors, often leading to injuries, deaths, and property damage. A new form of bear management began in the 1970s, focused mainly on protecting and maintaining natural populations of grizzly and black bears. Wildlife management goes beyond bears, too, with staff working to keep animals away from roads and other populated sites year round.
Despite the current federal government shutdown, Yellowstone National Park remains open to the public. Around half of the staff is no longer working, and plenty of wildlife management and maintenance is currently on hold, but there are still people actively working throughout the park to manage crowds and keep visitors safe. That includes keeping wildlife away from roads, as seen with a wolf in the video below.
Wolves once roamed throughout much of North America, with their habitats stretching from the Arctic Tundra to Mexico, but loss of habitat and extermination programs led to them being wiped out across most of the United States by the early 1900s. In 1973, the northern Rocky Mountain wolf was listed as endangered and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was designated as one of three recovery areas. Between 1995 and 1997, 41 wild wolves from Canada and northwest Montana were released into the park. Today their population fluctuates between around 83 and 123 wolves.
As with any wild animals, wolves need to be given plenty of space at all times. That’s at least 100 yards in Yellowstone National Park, or 300 feet. There have been very few documented interactions between wolves and people in Yellowstone, but they still need to be treated with respect. If a wolf approaches too close or doesn’t appear to fear humans, stand your ground. If the animal approaches, wave your arms and yell, flaring any jacket you may have. If that still doesn’t work, throw something at it or use bear spray.
