Wolf Pack in Banff
A wolf pack attacks an elk cow on a railway trestle outside of Banff, Canada.
Bowe Valley Wolf Pack
As a warning to those who may be sensitive..... these next few photos are a bit gruesome, but they detail the laws of nature. The highway you see is the main road leading into the town of Banff. Overhead is an active railroad trestle used by trains and wildlife. The elk are fond this thoroughfare using it to cross, thereby avoiding the cars below. Unfortunately for her, this Elk cow was penned in by a wolf pack with no escape. With fascination mixed with horror, we watched in awe of the wolf pack in action and in sadness as the elk was taken down.
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Fighting for her life
This elk cow was no match for the 5 member wolf pack, although she tried valiantly to escape.
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Their work is fast and almost complete.
The elk cow did not suffer long. Within 10 minutes at most, the wolves completed their grisly task of providing food for the clan.
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It's over
These two wolves take a breather after bringing down the cow. It was interesting to watch the dynamics of the pack. There were 3 active wolves who seemed to initiate the kill. 2 others joined in a few minutes later to complete the task. As soon as the cow went down, these 2 remained to feast and the other 3 returned from wherever it was they came.
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Grisly feast
One of the wolves stops to look over the rail at the traffic. Luckily when the cow went down, she wasn't on the actual rai linel as a train came by shortly afterwards. The department of wildlife was at the scene monitoring the events within minutes of the wolf/cow encounter and watched as the cow succumbed to the attack.
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Leaving the scene of the crime.
The Department of Wildlife officials chased the wolves away, as they determined the carcass could not stay on the trestle with active trains running. We think they relocated the cache fairly close by but off the bridge.
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Pack Retreat
We surmised where the wolves retreated and found them resting at the edge of the forest. They were very skittish when they saw our vehicle. As a result, only the one we think was the Alpha member remained a few seconds longer which allowed me to get this shot.
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2 Pack Members
We noticed that these 2 wolves came in to assist with the final kill and then promptly left when the deed was done. I wonder if they are senior members of the Bowe Valley Pack. The guide who was with us said that he believed the lighter colored wolf was the Alpha member.
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2 members of the pack
In this color picture, one can see the evidence from the kill on the wolf's face.
