The Iconic, One-Eyed ‘Queen of the Wolves’ Dies After Fight With Rival Pack in Yellowstone National Park

One of Yellowstone National Park’s most famous gray wolves, an 11-year-old matriarch who was blind in one eye, has died after a fight with a rival pack.

Nicknamed the “queen of the wolves,” 907F lived much longer than most grey wolves (Canis lupus) at Yellowstone, which have an average life span of four to five years. She was the alpha female of the Junction Butte pack, which prowls the park’s northern range.

On December 22, 907F and several of her pups were eating a bison carcass on the north side of the Yellowstone River, reports Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz. For unknown reasons, members of the rival Rescue Creek pack crossed the river and launched an attack.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Rabe@taylorlrabe)

After the fight, Taylor Rabe, a wildlife technician with the Yellowstone Wolf, Cougar and Elk Project, kept tabs on the signals coming from 907F’s radio collar. For the first two days, the collar indicated 907F was still alive.

But, three days after the conflict, on Christmas Day, 907F succumbed to her injuries. Her collar later signaled “mortality,” which occurs when the wolf wearing it hasn’t moved in 12 hours. Rabe recovered and froze 907F’s body, which will undergo a full necropsy.

“It’s sad. But … we always like to see a wolf die naturally, rather than at the hands of a human,” Rabe tells Cowboy State Daily. “It gives us peace to know that she went in a natural manner.”

Over the years, 907F had become a bit of a celebrity—much like 399, a female grizzly bear that lived in nearby Grand Teton National Park. But while 907F died of natural causes, 399 was struck and killed by a vehicle on October 22 at the age of 28. Grizzly 399 left behind a cub, and some conservationists have argued that her death was preventable.

Many wildlife enthusiasts noted the sharp contrast between how the two charismatic creatures died.

“[907F] lived a wild life,” says Deby Dixon, a professional wildlife photographer, to KTVQ’s Isabel Spartz. “She wasn’t killed by a hunter. She wasn’t killed by a car. She never got into any trouble. She got to live and die as a wild wolf, and 399 didn’t get that chance.”

Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven, another wildlife photographer, echoed that sentiment.

“Although [907F’s death] would have been violent, it’s more comforting to know she died a natural death rather than suffering 399’s fate,” he tells Cowboy State Daily.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Rabe @taylorlrabe)

To make it to age 11—or 11.8, to be exact—907F had to overcome her fair share of challenges. As Sheena Goodyear wrote for CBC Radio in June, 907F was “a shrewd survivor, a wise elder, a prolific mother—and an absolute boss.”

Born in the spring of 2013, 907F contracted mange—an itchy, contagious skin condition caused by mites—early in life, which led to the loss of half the fur on her tail, per the Billings Gazette’s Brett French. She lost her left eye around the age of 4, though biologists don’t know what happened—possibly an infection or injury.

Later in life, the wolf walked with a limp, but that didn’t stop her from mating and raising pups. Last May, she gave birth to her tenth litter.

Just six total Yellowstone wolves, including 907F, have lived to be 11 since the predators were reintroduced to the 2.2-million-acre park in 1995. The oldest known wolf at Yellowstone, a female named 478F, lived to be 12.5 years old.

Though she was ultimately killed by a rival pack, 907F’s advanced age likely contributed to the overall success of her Junction Butte pack in battle over the years.

“Packs that have elderly wolves are much more successful in those pack-versus-pack conflicts because of the accumulated knowledge and the experience that they bring to that really stressful situation,” Kira Cassidy, a researcher with the Yellowstone Wolf Project, told Live Science’s Patrick Pester in June.

Sarah Kuta | READ MORE

Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.