Grey wolf travelling alone spurs questions for Alberta traveller

The realities of the wild can often be harsh when it comes to aging.It's something thatClaude Riouxfound out recently after taking a tripup to the Icefields Parkway in October.

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Along the roadRiouxcame across a grey wolf walking by itself. It was a surprise, since wolf sightings can bea rare occurrence.

"Seeing the wolf was a surprise, especially for so long.It brought back memories of all the wildlife I came across during my years living, hiking and climbingin the national parks," said the former Banffresident who now lives inB.C.

Rioux said the wolf was plodding along, minding its own businesswhile it headed north. It kept searching the ditches for "anything that met its demise."

"It made me think that it was alone and looking for food," she said. "The addedfact that its head and tail were down gave me the impression that it didn't care much who saw it, and I was worried for it."

Rioux thought the behaviour was a bit strange, so decided to write a email to Parks Canada for information.

"That is Wolf 112. She was collared in 2009, and has always been a member of the Sunwaptapack," MarkBradley with Parks Canada replied. "She has been seen many times on her own this fall however, so she may no longer be travelling with the pack."

He said the pack's territory is from just south of the Jaspertownsitedown to Beauty Creek and theChabaRiver, mostly on the west side of Highway 93. The pack has included as many as nine wolves in the past, but has been steady with three to four over the last few years.

Bradley said Wolf 112 started out asa black wolf, but has gradually gone grey over the years.

• Watch a video of the wolf sighting below. On mobile? Click here.

Wolf movements tracked

Parks Canada has been tracking themovements of many of the province's wolf population. The idea isto collect data on the pack's territory and kill locationstohelp manageendangered caribou populations.

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"She used to be the pack alpha female for quite some time," saidRioux. "But now that she's older, her position must have been taken by another younger wolf.Her leaving the pack is a recent event."

In any packthere is always one breeding pair and some non-breeding wolves, said Bradley.

At first Riouxthought maybe the collar had something to do with the wolf leaving the pack, but Parks Canada said it was not the case.

"It is likely due to old age that she is on her own," said Bradley.

"Most wolves in Jasper die before they are five years old. Old wolves spend more time on the roads, probably because travel is easier. We have no reason to believe that collaring affects the social status of wolves within their packs we've collared alpha wolves in the past and they have successfully maintained their status into old age."

Bradley said Parks Canada hasreservations about putting collars on wildlife, but at thispoint there just isn't any other way to get data on pack territory.He said atthis pointit would be nice to take the wolf'scollar off, butrecapturing her would be riskier than just leaving the collar on.

"Tracking the animals in the wilds is understandable to collect information and understand their range and migration patterns, and should continue to aid Parks to protect these areas and corridors," saidRioux. "I just wish that Parks had access to more sophisticated, and less invasive, equipment to do the tracking."

While it may be a lesson in wildlife management, Rioux said it is still an experience that will stick with her.

"Her wandering the road alone made me rather sad, but it is part of the world in the wilds."