Canine Family

In 1993, the first documented den in southwestern Alberta since the 1950's was found in WLNP near the Belly River. This discovery initiated a multi-agency study to monitor the movements of this small wolf pack. Alberta has a Wolf Management Plan that calls for a population of 50 wolves to be maintained in southwestern Alberta. This plan is consistent with the interest of Parks Canada for maintaining wolf populations as part of healthy park ecosystems. The recovery of wolves in southern Alberta is complicated by current hunting regulations. Albertans can hunt wolves without a licence for about nine months of the year. Land owners can destroy wolves on or within five miles of their land. There is also no quota on how many wolves trappers can take each year.

The protection of wolves in national parks alone will not ensure their future survival. Wolves wander extensively outside of Waterton Lakes and Glacier to find food and shelter. For example, one of Glacier's radio collared wolves travelled north, almost to the Yukon, in one winter! Each year, as more habitat is lost and travel corridors close, space for wolves and other wildlife shrinks.