Homage to 1118F

1118F's Unofficial Biography:

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·         She was born in the spring of 2014

·         She was collared by the park service. The collar sent a signal every 30 minutes.

·         She left the Mollie Pack late summer of 2018 and joined with unknown wolf, genre unknown.

Some reported there were puppies with them.

·         The two traveled east and outside the park in late October 2018 and her companion was legally shot and killed.

The hunter claimed he just shot into the pack. In Wyoming it is called a "harvest".   1118F was also shot and wounded in her right front leg at the elbow. Somehow she made it back to the park using only three legs.

·         An animal surgeon examined photos and video of her and determined her best chance for survival was

amputation or she will die of sepsis.

·         The park service’s policy is not to interfere.

·         Unable to hunt, she wandered from carcass to carcass in the area from Hellroaring to Lamar Valley in the

Northern Region of the Yellowstone. She fed early in the morning before coyotes, grizzlies, and other wolves fed

on the carcass and hides after eating.  When traveling she hops three or four steps and rests. She surveys the

surroundings and then hops again. In the winter she would hole-plunged and nose-dived into the two feet of snow. 

 

 Sightings by wolf watchers (https://www.yellowstonereports.com/index.php) from pullouts along

Wyoming’s highway 212):

 

·         12/20/18 Unknown female gray at Soda Butte. 1118F?

·         12/21/18 Unknown female gray at Soda Butte. 1118F?

·         12/24/18 Lone Grey sighted south of YES p/o in Lamar Valley. 1118F?

o   Same grey sighted from Mid-Point p/o. 1118F?

o   Same grey sighted from Dorothy’s.  1118F?

·         12/26/18 1118F sighted from Dorothy’s.

·         12/29/18 1118F sighted from Dorothy’s. She was bedded under a tree up the drainage at 9:00 am.

·         1/2/19 1118F sighted in Lamar Canyon West at carcass from 7:45-10:00. She could be seen from

Slough Flats also. She was approached by two coyotes who left the area soon after. 1118F was still eating

at 4:15 pm.

·         1/4/19 1118F spotted at Canyon West eating the carcass at 2:30 pm.

·         2/18/19 1118F sighted at Tower Junction. She crossed the road 50’ in front of our car which is the site

of the photo.

·         2/20/19 1118F sighted at Lower Hellroaring carcass. She held off from eating due to the 7 coyotes on the carcass.

She was back at the carcass at 5:40 pm.

·         2/21/19 1118F was on the carcass at Hellroaring early in the morning and moved out to the field and

bedded so low she was difficult to spot. Later she moved west and north of the carcass and about a quarter mile

away and bedded in the snow with the sunlight on her.  She rolled onto her back several times and pushed her

three good legs into the air to stretch. Beautiful! Temperature: -22 degrees F

·         2/25/19 1118F spotted at Twin P/O carcass.

·         3/1/19-3/10/19 1118F’s collar reported that she wandered up Slough Creek to outside the park which is

about 15 miles. She then wandered back down the Slough drainage and crossed the road and over Cache Creek

toward the Mollies’ territory.

·         Everyone is wondering if the Moliies will take her back, send her away, or kill her. It is denning season and

some think she is returning to help with the litter.

·         3/16/19 1118F spotted from Boulder two miles out form the northwest on a knoll. At 1:45 she moved southeast.

·         3/17/19 1118F spotted from Boulder. On her back with legs up. She moved west and up and over the ridge.

·         3/18/19 No sightings but radio collars indicated that 1118F same area as yesterday.

·         4/24/19 1118F sighted at Round Prairie across the stream and going up into the woods. This is Lamar Pack (3 wolves)

territory.

·         5/5/19 1118F spotted on carcass in Lamar Valley in area across from Institute. She looked good and had a good

meal for 30 minutes before heading away from the carcass and out of sight.

·         5/27/19 An unknown gray female was spotted in the Lamar Valley playing with the three blacks from the

Junctions pack until chased off by an un-collared black wolf, as spotted from Hitching Post. 1048 or 996 were near the far

bank in the sage. The gray female moved to the skyline on the slopes of Norris. It became two grays, one of which was

1118F. The two grays had a brief encounter. There was no aggressive or dominant behavior by either. 1118F took over the

bed that the other gray had as the unknown gray moved down the slope a short distance then bedded. 1118F got up and

moved a number of times bedding in the same place each time and then disappeared over the ridge. The unknown moved

over the ridge and disappeared. The watchers assume the unknown gray was a Mollie, hence the casual encounter.

·         5/28/19 1118F was spotted early in the morning on the carcass at Footbridge.

·         5/29/19 1118F was spotted from Trashcan pullout and was bedded.

·         5/31/19 1118F was spotted from Midpoint Pullout near Soda Butte Valley. She was behind the willows and trees on

the far bank of the Lamar River. She was slowly meandering along the bank and then swiftly ascended the hill and out of

sight into the trees.

·         6/1/19 Two black wolves were spotted chasing elk at Round Prairie and took down one elk at 5:00 pm. 1118F was

spotted from Round Prairie as she moved west, ignoring a fresh elk carcass.

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September 12,  2019 the researchers had a mortality signal from 1118F's collar. They have not retrieved her collar.