A wolf pack killed a horse at Parks Canada’s Ya Ha Tinda Ranch early this spring—reportedly the first time this has happened in the ranch’s 102-year history.
According to Parks Canada, tracks showed the wolf pack came from Scalp Creek and travelled by a pasture housing 12 colts. “The colts were spooked enough to break open the gate and got out into a larger area,” said Bill Hunt, resource conservation manager for Banff National Park. A yearling colt was run down and killed by the wolves. Parks Canada staff discovered the remains the following morning. The colts have since been moved up near the main buildings; solar lights were added to “raise the alarm” if the wolves come too close. No word on what staff could do if the wolves attacked again.
Parks Canada advised that two of the male wolves in the pack were fitted with GPS collars to track their travels as part of research on the bison reintroduction, elk movement and migration. Ya Ha Tinda, about 85 km west of Sundre, is Parks Canada’s only working horse ranch. There, they train all of the horses that are used in national parks in Western Canada.