Last-gasp Wright winner sends Coventry to FA Cup semis at Wembley

Coventry City stunned Wolves in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Saturday to secure a trip to the semifinal round at the iconic Wembley Stadium. And U.S. men’s national team forward Haji Wright’s last-second dagger was the knockout blow. Fresh off his …

Coventry City stunned Wolves in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Saturday to secure a trip to the semifinal round at the iconic Wembley Stadium.

And U.S. men’s national team forward Haji Wright’s last-second dagger was the knockout blow.

Fresh off his omission from USMNT Nations League roster, the striker continued his strong campaign with a 100th-minute winner.

An all-time classic for Coventry unfolded on Saturday at Molineux. The Championship side led 2-1 in the 83rd minute before Premier League outfit Wolves equalized and then took the lead in a five-minute span.

But Ellis Simms equalized for Coventry at the 97′ mark, and was followed up by Wright three minutes later. The 25-year-old unleashed a curling effort that found the back of the net, sparking wild celebrations.

As the first quarterfinal match to take place over the weekend, Coventry have some waiting to do to see who they face in the next round. Plenty of time for both USMNT and Coventry supporters to take in and celebrate his heroic effort.

Reaction from both sets of fans can be found below:

Wolf-poaching incident near Yellowstone under investigation

Authorities in Montana would not say how the wolf was killed or whether it might have belonged to one of Yellowstone National Park’s known packs.

Authorities in Montana are investigating a suspected wolf-poaching incident that occurred recently near Yellowstone National Park.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks stated Wednesday that the wolf was killed near Mol Heron and Cinnabar creeks northwest of Gardiner on Jan. 27.

Gardiner is just outside Yellowstone’s North Entrance.

FWP spokesman Morgan Jacobsen, citing an active investigation, did not provide details regarding how the wolf was killed or whether it had belonged to a pack that lives mostly inside the park.

“I can confirm that a wolf died likely as a result of a poaching incident a few miles north of Yellowstone National Park,” Jacobsen told FTW Outdoors. “And Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is conducting an investigation.”

The Yellowstone National Park Public Affairs Office also declined to provide details, citing the FWP investigation.

News From The States reports that the wolf was killed inside Montana’s Wolf Management Unit 313, where a hunting quota of six wolves was filled by Dec. 27.

All six wolves, as a Yellowstone National Park spokeswoman recently confirmed to FTW Outdoors, “belonged to packs that spend the majority of their lives inside Yellowstone National Park and have territories largely within the park.”

FWP is seeking help from the public as part of its investigation. Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to visit myfwp.mt.gov/fwpPub/tipmont or call 1-800-TIP-MONT.

Informants could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

–Generic Yellowstone wolf image courtesy of the National Park Service

Yellowstone wolves visit Old Faithful in surreal webcam footage

Members of the Wapiti wolf pack were observed strolling across the boardwalk system that winds around Old Faithful and other thermal features.

Yellowstone National Park fans who tuned into the Old Faithful webcam  Thursday morning were thrilled to see wolves strolling across the iconic thermal region.

“What a view this morning!” Yellowstone Forever exclaimed via X. “The webcam captured some incredible footage of the park’s Wapiti wolf pack making its way through the Upper Geyser Basin.”

The webcam footage – rare footage, indeed – shows several wolves on and near the basin’s sprawling boardwalk system. (See footage below.)

A 10-minute version produced by the National Park Service (posted below) shows more extensive exploration by the wolves near Old Faithful and other geysers as steam floats across the wintry landscape.

At times, the wolves are traveling on boardwalks that are crowded with tourists in spring and summer. One wolf is shown near a geyser’s vent, as if savoring its warmth.

A screen shot from the webcam footage was posted on the Yellowstone Insiders Hub Facebook page by Joe Nagel, who exclaimed: “Wolves right now on the Old Faithful webcam!”

One follower joked: “Get. On. The. Boardwalk,” in reference to a park regulation that applies only to human visitors.

Another remarked, “Well, that probably cleared the elk and bison out of the geyser basin.”

Old Faithful is in the southwest portion of the 2.2-million-acre park, which is situated in Wyoming and small portions of Montana and Idaho.

Although wolf sightings can occur anywhere inside the park, the most likely spotting destinations are across the vast northern range.

–Footage courtesy of the National Park Service

Yellowstone wolf killed by trapper fondly remembered by researcher

“I think one of the main reasons I was so drawn to her was because I could see myself in her and she always made me smile,” Taylor Rabe wrote as part of her tribute.

A researcher who studies wolves in Yellowstone National Park on Sunday posted a video tribute to one of her favorite wolves a year after the animal was killed outside of the park by a trapper.

The female wolf was cataloged by park researchers as 1229F.

Taylor Rabe of the Yellowstone Wolf Project expressed her feelings via Instagram:

“Yesterday was one whole year without 1229F running around the park causing trouble – my favorite girl. She was spunky, charismatic, and moved to the beat of her own drum. She was always playing with the puppies and prancing around all over Lamar Valley.

“I grew very fond of her over the years, and loved trying to pick her out of the pack (though it wasn’t very hard). She was so unique, and I will cherish the moments I had with her.”

Yellowstone has lost several wolves that ventured outside the park during recent hunting and trapping seasons.

Rabe’s tribute comes nearly three weeks after the end of the most recent season in Wolf Management Unit 313, immediately north of the park in Montana, because an established quota of six wolves had been reached.

A park spokeswoman confirmed to FTW Outdoors that all six wolves “belonged to packs that spend the majority of their lives inside Yellowstone National Park and have territories largely within the park.”

One was a male collared research wolf from the Mollie’s Pack.

Rabe’s tribute to wolf 1229F continued:

“She helped me fall in love with wolves and wolf watching. I think one of the main reasons I was so drawn to her was because I could see myself in her and she always, always made me smile. That’s the beauty of watching wolves in Yellowstone – you can’t help but fall in love with them and following along with their stories, no matter how they may end.

“Unfortunately, she was trapped and shot last winter, and man do I miss seeing her every day in the field. Her absence is truly felt – but she made my time here so fun. Thanks for the memories girl, may I think of you always.”

–Image courtesy of Taylor Rabe

Oregon elk hunter shoots and kills wolf, prompting investigation

An elk hunter in Oregon has reported killing a wolf in self-defense, prompting wildlife officials to investigate.

An elk hunter in Oregon has reported killing a wolf in self-defense, prompting wildlife officials to launch an investigation.

The Oregon State Police stated Monday that the hunter claimed to have been threatened by the wolf as he tracked elk on Nov. 2 along a ridge in Grant County.

The hunter told OSP Fish and Wildlife Troopers that the wolf emerged from the trees and stared him down as he yelled and waved his arms in an attempt to frighten the animal.

“The wolf then reportedly looked at the hunter from a distance of approximately 30 yards and started coming directly toward the hunter,” OSP described in a news release. “The hunter stated he feared for his safety and fired one round, striking the wolf and killing it instantly.”

Troopers who visited the scene determined that the wolf was about 18 yards from the hunter when he shot the animal. A second wolf also emerged but ran off after the hunter fired into the air.

Wolves are protected in Oregon and there is no general sport-hunting season for the animals.

OSP said a report on the incident will be submitted to the Grant County District Attorney’s Office.

The agency added: “Preliminary investigation revealed the hunter acted reasonably in shooting the wolf for personal safety and appropriately notified officials immediately upon shooting the wolf.”

–Generic wolf image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

A true survivor, Yellowstone wolf pup issues ‘adult-like howl’

This year’s lone surviving pup from a popular Yellowstone National Park wolf pack has expressed herself as a survivor and a force.

This year’s lone surviving pup from a popular Yellowstone National Park wolf pack has expressed herself as a survivor and a force.

Taylor Rabe, a Yellowstone Wolf Project researcher, shared the accompanying footage showing the young wolf issuing an “adult-like howl” before continuing across the wintry landscape.

Rabe stated via Instagram: “Extra sassy + extra cute — featuring the Junction Butte pack’s one and only surviving puppy this year. This female pup is about 7 months old, and not too small anymore (listen to her new adult-like howl).”

The Junction Butte pack inhabits the park’s northern range.

Life is difficult for all park wolves, which are vulnerable to attacks by other wolves and the large critters wolves prey upon in order to survive – and by hunters and trappers if wolves wander beyond park boundaries.

Rabe explained that the Junction Butte pack produced two litters this year and that researchers “had visuals on multiple puppies born, but we’ll never know why she was the only one that survived.”

Rabe’s post has two click-through portions: one featuring the howl and the other showing the the wary predator on the move sporting a thickening winter coat.

Stated Rabe: “She’s quite beautiful now, and continues to grow like a weed.”

Yellowstone wolves react to first big snow; park issues advisory

Winter appears to have arrived early in Yellowstone National Park, affecting tourism and signaling a major seasonal change for wolves.

Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday cautioned tourists to postpone travel to and inside the park because of a “significant winter storm” that created hazardous driving conditions.

At the same time, researcher Taylor Rabe was afield in the park studying the Lupine Creek wolf pack.

“Yellowstone’s Northern range had its first very big snow today, and it was not kind to us,” Rabe, who conducts research for the Yellowstone Wolf Project, stated via Instagram. “Shutting down most of the park roads at one point or another this morning, the snow continues to fall. Winter is here.”

Rabe’s post shows wolves standing in the snow as if struck by the realization that a major seasonal change had just occurred.

However, viewers who click to her fourth slide will see wolf pups playing with one another as driving snow obscured the scene.

Rabe continued: “The Lupine Creek pack gave me a brief sighting in the snow flurries, providing me with the first opportunity since denning season to see some of this year’s new pups from the ground. It’s always exciting watching these little satellite packs grow each year. I’m very fond of these guys!”

The park announced temporary road closures as a winter storm warning was in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday night. It was not clear when the roads would reopen.

Prospective visitors were also reminded that most roads will close to automobile traffic Nov. 1, as usual, as the park prepares for the snowmobile and snow-coach season beginning Dec. 15.

The only roads open to automobile traffic year-round in Yellowstone, weather permitting, are between the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana.

That stretch includes Lamar Valley, one of the premier locations from which to observe wolves in the winter.

Watch: Yellowstone wolf pack chases 300 elk with unlikely result

A wildlife photographer was in the right place at the right time to capture video footage of a once-in-a-lifetime sighting at Yellowstone.

A wildlife photographer in Yellowstone National Park was in the right place at the right time to capture video footage of a herd of elk being chased by a pack of wolves in a once-in-a-lifetime sighting.

Michael Sypniewski, who is also a wildlife tour guide, shared the “thrilling and absolutely tragic” video on his Instagram page, as reported by Field and Stream.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Michael Sypniewski (@michaelwsyp)


“Sitting alone atop a rocky ridge, I watched a scene unfold that I am not sure I will ever see again,” Sypniewski wrote in his video description. “A pack of 20 or more wolves in pursuit of a herd of 300+ elk. This chase, unlike many for wolves, ended in success as they were able to bring down a young cow elk.”

One wolf managed to single out the young cow elk, which stumbled and allowed the wolf to get ahold of its hind leg. The wolf held on until reinforcements came to help take down the elk in a show of nature you don’t always get to see.

Commenters were amazed by the footage. Among the comments on Instagram:

“I mean, thrilling and absolutely tragic simultaneously?”

“Truly spectacular footage.”

“Fantastic video Michael!”

“Despite life being brutal, it’s amazing how well it balances itself out. Without natural predators many populations reach peaks with higher disease and sickness. Also, Lyme disease is transported by deer and you can see its impact on areas which predators were initially exterminated.”

“The circle of life is brutal… I’ll also never understand why prey animals are the cutest.”

Wolf steals trail camera and video evidence ‘is a bit telling’

A remote trail camera in Alberta, Canada, has captured nighttime footage showing a wolf running off with another camera.

A remote trail camera in Alberta, Canada, has captured nighttime footage showing a wolf running off with another camera.

The footage is amusing in that viewers can track the purloined camera in the wolf’s muzzle because of a bright light detected by other trail cameras.

The cameras are monitored by the Help Alberta Wildies Society (HAWS), which conducts research on wild horses.

“In case there was any doubt about who ran off with the trail camera, the evidence is a bit telling,” HAWS joked on Facebook.

HAWS informed followers that it retrieved the camera and “it was pretty chewed up but it kept recording.”

HAWS added that the infrared light from the camera is not visible to wolves or humans. The only reason viewers can see the light is because it was detected by other cameras utilizing the same technology.

“The trailcams pick up that light when they’ve been triggered by movement at night,” HAWS explained. “It was totally dark as far as the wolf could see.”

Two wolves are shown in the footage, including the camera thief, which ultimately trots in front of the camera that captured the footage.

The wolves belong to a pack of seven that “are picked up frequently by our cameras as they pass by our research areas for wild horses,” HAWS told FTW Outdoors.

It was not clear why the wolf removed the camera from its anchor but several viewers joked, before being educated on the invisibility of infrared light, that it might have needed a flashlight.

Watch: Coyote freaks out in presence of trail camera

Footage shows wolves and a coyote reacting to trail cameras, with the coyote earning the prize for theatrics.

On Friday we shared footage showing an elusive Yellowstone National Park wolf pack reacting to a remote motion-sensor trail camera.

Taylor Rabe, a researcher, stated via Instagram: “Wolves are very aware when cameras are in the area, and you can see these two adults checking it out!”

Her video was reminiscent of the accompanying footage, captured last year in Canada’s Yukon Territory. In the Yukon Wildlife Cams video, the canid is a coyote and its response is spirited.

David Troup of Yukon Trail Cams stated on Facebook: “Coyotes are known for being wary of trail cameras as this one demonstrates with a rather animated response upon that sudden realization.”

In the footage, the coyote stops in its tracks and bows briefly before bounding away from perceived danger.

Troup’s cameras are disguised but he explained, “Inevitably wildlife can detect peculiarities in their environment, whether it’s by sight, sound or smell.”

Yukon Wildlife Cams last year also shared footage showing a momma grizzly bear mouthing a trail camera near a pond.