How Wolves Brought Yellowstone Back to Life

The Yellowstone Wolf Reintroduction has been a resounding success since it began in 1995. Yellowstone’s wolves saved an ecosystem that was barren, overgrazed, and overpopulated with elk.

The return of wolves brought about a whole host of ecological changes, starting with the return of vital riparian trees like cottonwoods, aspens, and willows. The return of Yellowstone’s streamside vegetation also meant the return of beavers, fish, muskrats, and other animals. More elk carcasses meant more food for bears, cougars, eagles, and vultures. Yellowstone’s wolves even changed rivers themselves. With trees on their banks, rivers were stabilized and less susceptible to erosion.

Perhaps even more remarkably, wolves even changed elk behavior. Termed the “Valley of Fear,” the very presence of wolves in Yellowstone caused elk to avoid certain areas simply because they were scared. Wolves saved Yellowstone by bringing back ecological relationships that were centuries old, but had been lost in the last 100 years.

In this video, we’re taking a look at all of that and more, as we breakdown the Yellowstone wolf reintroduction. This video is also the second installment in my series on the Green World Hypothesis and predators in National Parks. If you want to see the first installment, you can check that out here: https://youtu.be/ysw7YbKC99w

Enjoy!