by Clay Dethlefsen (In response to new article, “Wolves Preying on Dogs in Whitehorse Area.”

This is a very interesting report. I was in Whitehorse in 2003 on a Dall Sheep hunt and spent some time in the precise area where this report is citing wolf activities.

What is interesting is that in August 2003 no one had any concerns about wolves this close to Whitehorse’s residential area.  There was however a massive concern on the impact of wolf packs in the hunting concessions around but outside this specific Whitehorse area, especially those areas bordering Alaska.

My outfitter, Dave Dickinson, back then and I discussed the impact of wolves on Mountain Caribou and other big game animals, as well as his trapping them. The Mountain Caribou had been decimated in many concession areas to the extent that they could no longer be hunted.

While moving our drop camp we had a single caribou approach us while we were on horseback.  It seemed to think we were a small group of caribou.  He approach within several yards of us to a point where we perceived he was not sure what we were.  He was obviously looking for security in numbers.

After he determined we were not caribou and that we didn’t present any danger to him he stayed walking along with us for a mile or so, until we moved over a ridge and headed in a different direction then he proceeded on his way.

This article cites what appears to be a pair of wolves killing dogs not a whole pack as yet.  If this be the case the residents look to be experiencing a movement of wolves from the more sylvatic area around Whitehorse to the pastoral area, i.e. urban and residential areas.

The implications of this are several.  But the most telling of these implications maybe the lack of pack free domains for new pairs to set up their own domains, abd/or the lack of normal food i.e. ungulates in the outer areas surrounding Whitehorse.

Looking at the picture in this article seems to confirm that these killers of the dogs are pure wolves.  But their behavior seems to indicate that they have complete lost their survival instinct (often referred to as “fear of humans” that would keep them away from areas of constant human habitation.  Hence, it does appear that these wolves have become thoroughly habituated and will continue to remain where they are and set up housekeeping.

I suspect that if these wolves were studied we would find within a year that they have established a pack and its associated marked territory (domain) right around Whitehorse.

I wonder if other domestic animals have gone missing from a broader surrounding pastoral area?

It would also appears to be a valid need to determine if these wolves are a mix of male and female or whether they maybe a bachelor group.  Finding where they came from also would tell a great deal as to what maybe or in the future might happen in other residential areas in the Whitehorse vicinity.

In all the research I have done over the last 8 plus years one thing always shines out; that is nothing happens in the Canius lupus lupus world without a very influential and dominating reason.

Another few thoughts, with all the deliberate natural or human hybridization going on using wolves as one half of a breeding pair, do we have any information regarding hybrid wolf-dogs in any area around Whitehorse?   Too, looking into the E.g. and E.m. disease happenings in this area seems a priority and it is made easy given the close in location of these wolves.