Disease outbreak cuts Wyoming, Yellowstone wolf numbers to lowest level since reintroduction era
Biologists said pup survival fell to 37% as distemper spread through packs and left the state with 14 breeding pairs.
- Wyoming's statewide wolf population plummeted to a minimum of 253 wolves and 14 breeding pairs by the end of 2025, according to Wyoming Game and Fish Department wolf biologist Ken Mills, primarily due to a canine distemper outbreak.
- Canine distemper, a measles-like virus, proved lethal for wolf pups during the 2025 outbreak, with only an estimated 31 to 34 of 87 documented born pups surviving the year, a survival rate of just 37%.
- Of the total population, 132 wolves dwelled in the mountainous 'trophy game' area, while 84 wolves lived in Yellowstone National Park; Mills noted that Yellowstone pup survival hit a record low of 17, the lowest ever recorded.
- Game and Fish officials will consider the reduced population when setting fall 2026 hunting seasons, and Mills anticipates a 'surplus' of animals will allow for a hunting season despite mortality limits.
- The state's management plan targets a 160-wolf population objective, and the population now possesses increased antibodies and resistance, positioning the species to recover following the unusual disease event.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Associated Press News
Disease outbreak cuts Wyoming, Yellowstone wolf numbers to lowest level since reintroduction era
A flare up of a disease that’s especially lethal to wolf pups took a toll on Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park wolf numbers in 2025, reducing biologists’ counts to a level last seen when wolves were still reestablishing following the species’ historic 1995-96 reintroduction.
Disease outbreak cuts Yellowstone wolf numbers to lowest level since reintroduction era - The Daily Chronicle
A flare up of a disease that’s especially lethal to wolf pups took a toll on Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park wolf numbers in 2025, reducing biologists’ counts to a level last seen when wolves were still reestablishing following the species’ historic 1995-96 reintroduction. “It was the lowest number of wolves in 20 years,” Wyoming Game and Fish Department wolf biologist Ken Mills told WyoFile. “That was definitely during the population cree…
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