The Druids are one of the largest wolf packs ever documented, once numbering 37 strong. But when their alpha female is killed by another pack and their patriarch is found dead, their reign over Yellowstone National Park’s Lamar Valley comes to a sudden end — at least for a time.
Nature Wolves in Yellowstone
NATURE details the Druids’ dramatic fall from dominance, flight into exile and triumphant return to power amid the stunning beauty of Yellowstone. Central to the Druids’ resurgence is a notorious flirt dubbed Casanova, a lone black wolf once kept at bay from the younger Druid daughters. When all that remains of the once-mighty pack is two females, he takes charge of rebuilding the clan on the edge of the valley; soon, 11 pups are born.
Druids have made Lamar Valley their home. It’s one of the park’s most prized habitats, a fertile hunting ground and, surrounded by mountains, sheltered from the deepest snows. With a new generation thriving, the Druids are on the ascent again and the former outcast Casanova leads them back to battle the Sloughs. But what they find is a surprise — their rivals have had their own change of fortune and are easily overtaken. The Druids will surely be challenged in the seasons to come, but for now, they’ve come home.
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