Alberta supplied the first wolves released into Yellowstone in January 1995.
Wildlife officials captured 14 wolves from several packs east of Jasper National Park, near Hinton in Alberta, Canada. The animals were transported to Yellowstone in two groups: eight arrived on January 12, 1995, and six arrived on January 20. They were placed in acclimation pens before being released into the park later that spring.
The reintroduction followed decades of wolf eradication in Yellowstone. Gray wolves had been eliminated from the park by the mid-20th century through government predator-control campaigns, even though the surrounding ecosystem still offered suitable habitat and prey. The 1995 animals were held in pens at Crystal Creek, Rose Creek, and Soda Butte Creek in the Lamar Valley.
The province is sometimes confused with the broader phrase “wolves from Canada.” Alberta was the source of the first 1995 shipment, while additional wolves brought in 1996 were also captured in Canada. The first 14 were released from their pens between March 21 and March 31, 1995, marking the beginning of Yellowstone’s modern wolf population.