Wolf Pack Kills 19 Elk in ‘Extremely Rare’ Sport Killing

In an ‘extremely rare’ event, a pack of wolves – thought to consist of a group of 9 wolves – went on a killing spree in Wyoming, near Bondurant, decimating 19 elk. There’s no known reason why predatorial animals engage in surplus killings because there’s no way they can eat the number of prey they take down.

Image: Ryan Dorgan

“Normally one or two elk a night here and there is no big deal, but 19 in one night is fairly rare,” Wyoming Game and Fish Department supervisor John Lund told a local TV station.

The group of elk consisted of 17 calves and two adults, according to National Geographic. With this attack, the number of elk lost in the area this winter is about 7% of the population of 1,100.

“There is a significant concern among wildlife managers,” he said, noting that there are no reports of wolves attacking humans. “Our concern is big game.”

Image: Ryan Dorgan

As a federally protected animal, the state agency has no authority to control the wolf population in any way.

“We are kind of in a bind right now because we don’t have any management authority of wolves,” WGFD regional wildlife supervisor John Lund told County 10. “That is strictly the USFWS that has that authority. We manage the elk on the feedgrounds, but with wolves, we don’t have any management authority.”