Wolf 907F, Yellowstone’s oldest wolf at over 11 years old, died on Christmas Day, according to wildlife biologists. Taylor Rabe, a wolf technician in Yellowstone, told Wyoming news source Cowboy State Daily that the famed wolf’s radio collar signaled mortality when she checked on Thursday morning. The animal was part of a brawl involving a rival pack several days earlier, and the wolf must have died from injuries sustained in that fight.
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Cowboy State Daily reports that Wolf 907F was the alpha of the Junction Butte pack. She’d had an estimated 10 litters of pups over the years, and she survived most of her life with sight in only one of her eyes. The partially blind matriarch lived nearly 12 years, even though the average lifespan for a wild wolf is much shorter, often only 3-4 years.
“I wish I could hear the stories and experiences she’s had over the years,” Rabe wrote in a post dedicated to 907F back in September that she has since pinned to the top of her profile. “11.5 [year] is not an easy feat on such a dangerous, unpredictable landscape.”
See 907F, Yellowstone’s oldest wolf before she died Christmas Day, here:
Here’s a news segment showing more clips of 907F, including some interviews with wildlife enthusiasts who had come to love the animal: