Wildlife

Maybe I should have made this the number one "must-see", but it is impossible to guarantee where you will see wildlife. Try to get out and drive in the early morning and late afternoon to have the best chance of seeing the wildlife.

You should see a lot of wildlife in Yellowstone.

Please spend time enjoying the wildlife but remember, it is illegal to harass or approach wildlife too closely. If you cause an animal to move, you are too close. Large animals such as BISON are FAST and DANGEROUS so keep your distance. Each year a number of visitors get too close to some lazy looking bison and end up getting seriously gored.

Because of a hard winter AND Montana State policy, it appears that the Bison (Buffalo) heard in Yellowstone was cut by more than half over the winter of 1996/1997. In the Fall of 1996, the heard was estimated at 3,500 animals. In March of 1997 it was estimated at between 1,200 and 1,500 animals. Thus, you will see fewer bison than in the past few years. In March of 1997, Yellowstone National Park put out an interesting press release on the history of bison in Yellowstone that includes a fairly apolitical synopsis of recent events.

To get an idea of where to see wildlife, ask around. Wildlife watchers, park visitors and concessionaire employees will all have information to give. Park rangers also have information. If you are persistent and make it known that you will not blame them if you don't see anything, the park rangers may give you some good information but since the animals are constantly moving around, the rangers are usually hesitant to be too specific.

Two areas that are usually good places to look are Lamar Valley, in the northeast corner of the park, and Hayden Valley, between Yellowstone Lake and the Canyon.

For best viewing, bring a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope. This is especially true if you want to watch grizzly bears or wolves.

The types of animals you may see include: bison, elk, white pelicans, trumpeter swans, moose, big horn sheep, coyotes, pronghorn, mule deer, black bear, grizzly bear, osprey, eagles, hawks, porcupines, ground squirrels, marmots, beaver, rabbits and many types of song birds.

Where are the bears?

Bears are commonly seen in Lamar Valley and in the valley below the road between Dunraven Pass and Tower Junction. They are, to a slightly lesser extent, seen in Hayden Valley. You may also see bears in other parts of the park but that is mainly luck. Even at the above listed locations don't expect viewing to be easy. Bring a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope. Get out in the morning and late afternoon when the bears are active and more likely to be seen. Look for other tourists along the roads with spotting scopes. Many of the wildlife watchers spend their time along Dunraven pass and in Lamar valley. If you can find any of them, they should have suggestions on where to look and might be able to point out where bears and wolves have recently been seen. These are good people to look for. They usually are up to date on wildlife sightings.

Before the mid-seventies it was common to see numerous bears begging for food along the roads. Starting in 1970 the park service instituted a plan to return the bears to their natural habitat. They prohibited the feeding of the bears, closed the garbage dumps in the park and tried to keep people and bears from close contact. The program has worked but now it is unusual to see a bear. Bears are still seen but it is now an experience to be hoped for instead of expected. For more information on the history of bears in the park see the Park Service Press Release.

To read more about the bears in Yellowstone see Kevin Sanders' Bear Page

What about the Wolves?

Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995. Early in the century, the federal policy was to kill all wolves in order to protect "beneficial" wildlife and stock. Thus, the original Yellowstone wolves were deliberately exterminated. The last of the original wolves in Yellowstone was killed in 1924.

After much debate, wolves from Canada were introduced into the park in January of 1995. Through natural breeding and the introduction of more wolves in 1996, the number of wolves in the Greater Yellowstone area has continued to grow since that first reintroduction.

So, where can you see wolves? It is too soon to be able to predict where you might see wolves. Early in the reintroduction, they were commonly seen in the Lamar Valley but sightings there are less frequent now. Your best bet is to ask when you get to the park and hope that there have been confirmed sightings recently. One word of warning. It seems that every visitor to Yellowstone has wolves on the brain. The majority of wolf sightings reported by park visitors in 1996 were actually the similar looking but smaller coyote.

For a thorough discussion of Wolves in Yellowstone see Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report and Kevin Sanders' Wolves Page and Wolf Update Page

The National Park Service's Flora and Fauna list contains a longer but still incomplete listing of fauna and flora found in Yellowstone.

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Comments and Questions are Welcome.

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The picture on this page is from the Bioinfo Animal Pictures Archive
The wolf graphic is from The Total Yellowstone Page