Small wolf pack takes up residence just outside Mammoth

So much for a Yellowstone wolf pack avoiding contact with humans.

A small pack — three black males and a gray female — have taken up residence a quarter mile east of Yellowstone National Park headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs.

Complicating things: the female probably gave birth to a litter in recent days.

Now, we’re not going to tell you precisely where the den is located, because some knucklehead will head over there to get a really close look at the site. But the wolves were not particularly subtle, and Park Service officials were forced to put up barriers preventing access to the area. Still, the very open nature of the den will surely lead the many devoted wolf watchers to stick close to Mammoth Hot Spring, especially once the wolf pups are seen.

The small pack is believed by Park officials to be a spinoff of the Hayden pack, which has mostly left Yellowstone National Park and is taking up residence west of the Park near Hebgen Lake.

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