A wolf was struck and killed on the train tracks near Banff last week.
Parks Canada officials say a Canadian Pacific Railway crew reported hitting a wolf near the first Vermilion Lake, Tuesday evening (Jan. 18). Park wildlife specialists found what was left of the animal early the following morning.
Because only two wolves in the area are fitted with radio collars, it is difficult to determine if the wolf is a lone wolf or a member of a pack, but Parks believes it was from the Bow Valley pack, formerly known as the Pipestone pack.
“It was pretty mutilated. All we could salvage and bring back was the head,” said Blair Fyton, a resource conservation specialist for Banff National Park.
“I guess we were quite surprised; it’s pretty rare to get wolves hit on the tracks, but now there’s quite a bit of snow so they spend a lot less energy walking on the tracks.”
Parks crews were unable to determine the sex of the black wolf, but believe it is very likely a young adult from the Bow Valley pack. The pack is now thought to be down to five members, including three pups.
Up until last Christmas, there were believed to be seven members in the pack, but an adult male wolf known as Skoki has ventured out of the Bow Valley. That wolf is fitted with a radio collar, but crews cannot pick up a signal in the valley, and his whereabouts are unknown.
“We’re not sure where he’s gone, but he’s a young male and that’s probably why he’s off venturing around, looking for a lady friend or a different territory,” said Fyton. “It’s common for young males to do that.”
An elk was also hit and killed by a train near Banff on the same night.
Fyton said animals tend to be travelling in areas where there’s less snow at the moment, such as along the train tracks and Bow Valley Parkway, also known as Highway 1A.
“With the heavy snow, they’re using the train tracks and Highway 1A as travel corridors where there’s not as much snow. They’re definitely struggling a bit in the deeper snow,” he said.
“The wolves are starting to use the 1A more to travel so it would be good for people to keep their speed down and be wary that animals could be on the road – and that includes ungulates.”
The Bow Valley pack has been hanging out close to the Banff townsite in the vicinity of Vermilion Lakes where elk have been frequenting this winter. There have also been several roadside sightings on the 1A.
“Quite a bit of the elk herd are hanging out between the Cave and Basin and Vermilion Lakes and that’s where the wolves have been,” said Fyton. “We want them to come in and find the elk.”
John Marriott, a wildlife photographer who closely watches the wolves, said he believes the wolf killed by the train is not a member of the local pack.
“I actually saw a wolf on Tuesday morning, and it was almost certainly the same black adult on First Vermilion; and later that day I saw the entire Pipestone pack (Bow Valley pack) on the Icefield Parkway,” he said.
Marriott said he was disappointed to hear of the wolf death.
“I was really excited to see what would happen. Was this wolf passing through, or a wolf potentially setting up close to town?” he said.
