The Interior Alaskan wolf (Canis lupus pambasileus), also known as the Yukon wolf, is a subspecies of gray wolf native to parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Interior Alaska and Yukon.
Taxonomy It is recognized as a subspecies of Canis lupus in the taxonomic authority Mammal Species of the World (2005). It was first described in 1905 by the American zoologist Daniel Elliot as Canis pambasileus and with the name "autocrat timber wolf", based on a specimen from the Susitna River, Mount McKinley region, Alaska. Elliot distinguishes this wolf by the teeth in both jaws being large and heavy, and along with the skull exceed those of C. l. occidentalis (the Northwestern wolf) of a comparable body size. This wolf's coat ranges from black to white or a mix of both. In 1944, the American zoologist Edward Goldman recognized this wolf as Canis lupus pambasileus Elliot, 1905 and with the name "Interior Alaskan wolf".
Physiology
Description The wolf has a height of 85 cm (33.5 in) and a length between 150 and 196 cm (59 and 77 in) with an average male weight of 56.3 kilograms (124 lb) and for females 38.5 kilograms (85 lb). Individual weights can vary from 32 kilograms (71 lb) to 60 kilograms (130 lb). In Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve male wolves average 50.3 kg (111 lb) and females 44 kg (97 lb); in Denali National Park and Preserve male wolves average 47.6 kg (105 lb). One specimen weighed 81.4 kilograms (179 lb). It was killed on 70 Mile River in east-central Alaska on July 12, 1939. One wolf was purported to weigh 212 pounds (96 kg), however large Alaskan wolves are known to hold up to 20 pounds (9.1 kg) of moose meat in their stomachs. The most common color for this subspecies is tawny grey or tan, but can also range from white to black. The lifespan ranges from 4 to 10 years, the oldest being 12 years.
Pack habits Average pack size is 7 to 9 wolves, but can vary; like other wolves, the pack consists of a mated pair and their offspring. The pair is usually the only ones that breed. A wolf that has left its pack may travel up to 500 km (310.7 mi) to breed. The minimum breeding age is 1 year, and the average litter size is 4–6 pups.
Disease vectors While exact data is not available, it is suspected that various types of diseases, such as rabies and distemper, affect this subspecies, sometimes to the point that the stability of the subspecies is changed in parts of its region.
Distribution and habitat This wolf is native to the interior of Alaska, United States, and the Yukon, Canada save for the tundra region of the Arctic Coast. Yukon wolves' main habitats are boreal forests, alpine, subalpine, and Arctic tundra. The population in Canadian Yukon is estimated to be 5,000, which ranges in all of Yukon except for Kluane National Park. The population density depends on prey, with the densest population being in Teslin, Yukon, Canada where there are 9 wolves per 1,000 square kilometers (386.1 sq mi), while the least dense is in Northern Yukon, with 3 wolves per 1,000 square kilometers.
Diet
The diet of this wolf varies by region – moose is the main prey in southern Yukon, followed by boreal woodland caribou and Dall sheep. Barren-ground caribou is main prey in the North Slope. When hunting moose, wolves mainly kill calves and old moose when fleeing. Usually the hunting success rate for moose is 10% in one hunt, and a pack usually kill a moose every 5 to 6 days to eat for 2 – 3 days. Moose are more likely to stand their ground than caribou, which tend to flee, decreasing their survival rate. Wolves usually kill a caribou every 3 days during winter and eat for a day. Dall sheep are common prey in Kluane Game Sanctuary and National Park when moose and caribou are not available.
History In pre-colonial Canada, the local Aboriginal population hunted this wolf for its fur. This continued into the 1800s, with colonists selling wolf furs to Aboriginal tribes in the area, who used them to line their clothing. The first true mapping of the wolf population in the Yukon began in the 1950s and, subsequently, a program of wolf-poisoning began. This came about because of the public stigma regarding wolves during the time.
Yukon Conservation and Management Plan A plan known as the Yukon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan was created in the 1980s by the Yukon government in order to determine a method to control the population of wolves in Yukon. The studies that would be conducted wherein a reduction in the wolf population would only occur in one specified testing area at a time. Also no hunting would be allowed within the testing area, in order to have a strict control and understanding of the results of any study. The studies would also be conducted in only 7 of the 23 ecoregions in Yukon. The aftereffects of the plan in the 2000s involved continued study and the creation of "rigid guidelines for ensuring long-term wolf conservation" and limited the amount of wolf control enacted by decreasing the scope and length of any future studies. The planning group also set forth methods of increasing public awareness of the importance of wolves and making more strict wolf hunting laws. The plan was eventually opposed by environmental groups who did not wish for wolf control in any form.
Finlayson Recovery Program (1983–1992) The first control program was started because of observations and complaints by the people of Ross River that the Filayson herd of caribou has been declining in size. In response, the government, from the beginning of the program to 1989, reduced the number of wolf packs in the area from 25 to 7, which involved reducing the number of individual members from 215 to 29. In order to test if a concurrent effort would have a greater effect, hunting any caribou in the herd was also limited and controlled by a strict permit system. The result was that the number of caribou more than doubled and the number of wolves returned to their previous count before the control period. Since the end of the program, the number of caribou has begun to steadily decline, though the health of the herd remained stable regardless. While the government had wished to continue efforts at wolf control in the area, an agreement could not be made with the First Nation peoples of Ross River, so the effort was eventually abandoned.
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