Wyoming wolf pack surplus kills 19 elk in one night

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Wyoming wolf pack surplus kills 19 elk in one night

Post by Koa » Tue Mar 29, 2016 7:29 am

Wow!
[Warning: Users may find some images graphic/disturbing]

Wolf Pack Slaughters 19 Elk in Rare 'Surplus Killing'
By Brian Clark Howard

...Foxes and wolves, among other predators, sometimes engage in surplus kills, when they take down more prey than they can likely eat.

Such a surplus kill event apparently went down in northwestern Wyoming this week, when a gray wolf pack seemingly dispensed with 19 elk in a single night.
Please read the full article here:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016 ... 23161997=1

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Re: Wyoming wolf pack surplus kills 19 elk in one night

Post by Kamaal » Tue Mar 29, 2016 7:44 am

Ah yes, I read that yesterday. It's really interesting yet rare to see. Thanks for posting it here Koa!
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Re: Wyoming wolf pack surplus kills 19 elk in one night

Post by Sambhur » Wed Mar 30, 2016 7:26 pm

Wow, what a successful pack! Or maybe they're just lucky... hahah. The fact that most of them were calves would have made a difference though, 19 adults would have been a whole other story.
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Re: Wyoming wolf pack surplus kills 19 elk in one night

Post by wolf567 » Sat Apr 09, 2016 11:34 am

Just to add to this discussion I have found the following article that explains a possible reasoning to the surplus kills.

I know a lot of big cats have been known to hunt more than they can eat in the hope to hide their kill to eat later.

http://www.outsideonline.com/2066881/tr ... OTA5ODI5S0
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Re: Wyoming wolf pack surplus kills 19 elk in one night

Post by Phasoli » Tue Apr 12, 2016 7:05 pm

wolf567 wrote:Just to add to this discussion I have found the following article that explains a possible reasoning to the surplus kills.

I know a lot of big cats have been known to hunt more than they can eat in the hope to hide their kill to eat later.

http://www.outsideonline.com/2066881/tr ... OTA5ODI5S0
I've read this main article before somewhere a while ago. Thank you for the follow up wolf567. My, was I surprised to hear about the surplus killing a while back! I was nearly horrified. The follow up helped to clear the air. It seems like the wolves were doing their best to stock up for later. We humans have interfered with their plans by moving the carcasses. It would be like buying 10 chickens--more than anyone could eat at once--then have your neighbor judge you and take it all away.

This really allows for quite an interesting topic.
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Re: Wyoming wolf pack surplus kills 19 elk in one night

Post by Obedear » Fri Apr 15, 2016 9:13 am

When I first read the title, I assumed they had killed 19 adult elk, and was quite surprised. It makes more sense that they killed a majority of calves... But still, that's quite a lot! What a successful hunt. I'm sure the elk population is just fine though, especially since the killings took place at a feeding ground. This just serves to remind me what powerful creatures wolves truly are, and their ability to hunt in packs makes them all the more deadly.
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Re: Wyoming wolf pack surplus kills 19 elk in one night

Post by roguemoon » Sun Apr 17, 2016 7:08 pm

Opheya wrote:When I first read the title, I assumed they had killed 19 adult elk, and was quite surprised. It makes more sense that they killed a majority of calves... But still, that's quite a lot! What a successful hunt. I'm sure the elk population is just fine though, especially since the killings took place at a feeding ground. This just serves to remind me what powerful creatures wolves truly are, and their ability to hunt in packs makes them all the more deadly.

I also had a hard time believing it until they mentioned most of them were calves. I doubt even a large pack could take down 19 adult elk in a night.
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