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In a sad story being reported in Montana’s Billings Gazette, one of the longest-living wolves in Yellowstone National Park has been stricken with mange, a disease that causes hair loss and can lead to the animal’s death.
Mange is believed to have been released in Montana in the early 1900s as a biological control targeting wolves and coyotes. It is caused by a mite that burrows under the skin and causes itching and hair loss.
While mange has been recorded in several wolf packs outside the park for years, there is now concern that it might move through Yellowstone’s resident wolf population.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, mange isn’t always directly fatal, but the hair loss can be so significant that it leads to hypothermia or infections that can kill the animal.
One of the affected wolves found by rangers had lost about 40 percent of its body hair. And now that one wolf pack has it there is concern that it could spread throughout the park.
Source: http://billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/02/06/news/wyoming/45-hair-loss.txt
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