Brutus’s Big Loop

When last we left Brutus and company at the end of Dec. the pack was pretty much near the center of its range. Since then, the wolves made a great loop from Ellesmere over to Axel Heiberg again and then back to the north end of the Fosheim Peninsula on Ellesmere. Lots of travel across the fiords again. For 8 locations from Jan 7 through early on the 11th (84 hours), the pack stayed in an area about 2.3 miles ( 3.7 km) across, just south of Eastwind Lake, where often muskoxen hang out and where earlier locations suggest the wolves have made a few kills. On Jan 8th both locations were essentially in the same spot, probably indicating a fresh kill.

We have also learned that the pack almost certainly contains at least 20 members and possibly up to 30. Not only have 2 folks at the Eureka Weather Station made counts of 23-28 and 25-30 wolves in the pack, but one of workers, Dr. Pierre Fogal of CANDAC who supplied some of the photos for earlier blog entries, furnished us many new photos including one in which we can count at least 20 wolves.