19 elk killed by wolves in Wyoming in "rare event"

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JACKSON, Wyo. - The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) has confirmed that 19 elk were killed by wolves at a feedground near Bondurant. "Yesterday morning, we discovered several elk killed by wolves near one of our feedgrounds near Bondurant. We went and investigated it and it turned out to be a total of 19 that we found and documented. There were 19 total -- 17 were calves, two were adult cows," said WGFD Regional Wildlife Supervisor John Lund.

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"This is a rare event. A lot of people call it surplus killing," said Lund. "It has been observed on other occasions, just not very often. This was one of those events. Several wolves came in over one night and killed 19 elk. Normally one or two elk a night here and there is no big deal, but 19 in one night is fairly rare."

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"By and large, wolves don't kill for sport," said Jimenez. "We did an eight year study and we looked at elk feedgrounds. What we found is that generally wolves did not kill what they did not eat."

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I've heard of sport killing by wolves but I still find it weird a wild predator would kill something and not eat it. Would've thought as soon as the first elk was down it would be meal time and that's that.

I wonder if this is actually a rare event or are the FnG people are downplaying the act for the sake of wolf reintroduction. I'm generally for reintroduction btw. Hearing a lone wolf howl while camping is on my bucket list.