Yellowstone’s wolves have been the feel-good story in American ecology for nearly three decades. Predators return, elk get nervous, willows grow tall again, rivers heal. According to the National Park Service, 14 gray wolves were captured in Alberta, Canada, and brought to Yellowstone in January 1995, then released into the park that spring after a roughly seventy-year absence. It’s a clean narrative, and it’s present in biology textbooks and nature documentaries. A new scientific challenge says it’s time to put the applause on hold.
Second look at a famous claim
