October 14, 2010

Brutus Immortalized at Weather Station


In honor of Brutus' contributions to science, he has been mounted and placed on display at the Eureka Weather Station along with a plaque explaining his background.  A map of the GPS locations his collar provided will be mounted nearby.

The plaque reads:
Brutus
Canis lupus arctos

The breeding male of an arctic wolf pack that often denned near the Eureka Weather Station, Brutus first caught the attention of the staff in 2003 when he began coming regularly to the facility. The regal young wolf was a standout, and he and his family were frequent and fascinating visitors to the station over the years. He sired at least 5 generations of pups, and at approximately age 9, he became a celebrated pioneer in wolf research. From July 2009 to April 2010, he wore a collar tracked by satellite, and his far-ranging travels with his pack were recorded by wolf researchers and followed on an Internet blog by thousands of people. In April 2010, data from the collar reported no new locations, raising concerns that Brutus had died. Weather station personnel launched a search, and on a snow-covered hillside, they found the big wolf's body. A necropsy determined that he had died of natural causes. Brutus lived a very long life as a hunter and pack leader in one of the most challenging environments on earth. To honor his contribution to the world's knowledge of wolves and to preserve their countless personal memories, the staff brought Brutus home to Eureka.

We are still awaiting word from geneticists about whether the last batch of pup scats included one from the last of the 5 pups we studied last summer. The pups are doing well as the accompanying photo of them by WS staff shows.

Thanks.

Dave

9 comments:

  1. Hey, that is truely great news and terrific idea to brought back Brutus to his home.

    Christian

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  2. Taina from FinlandOctober 14, 2010

    Brutus is so handsome! It is great that Brutus has brought back to Eureka.

    It is also nice to read (and see photos) that pups are doing well. They seem to be in good shape.

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  3. That is great to see Brutus back home. Looks great.

    The pups look good to!

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  4. Brian from NebraskaOctober 17, 2010

    Really interesting to see so many pups and such a large pack! Any ideas on if you'll be able to try and collar another wolf or two next year? Too bad you weren't allowed to collar this past summer with such a large pack... Best wishes!

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  5. Brian,
    We are hoping, but I am not optimistic.
    Dave

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  6. Does the plaque have the stuff about the scat written on it too?

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  7. Anonymous,
    No, the part about the scats is not part of the plaque.
    Dave

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  8. I would like to visit Ellesmere and your resurch center. Maybe lend a hand.Is this possible?

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  9. Sorry; it is impossible for non-scientists to get to this area.

    Dave

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