White Lady of Yellowstone

One of the most recognized and admired wolves in Yellowstone, White lady lived to an old age for a wild wolf, only to be tragically killed by a poacher.

Birth of an icon

540F and 541M came together in the sweeping meadows and rolling hills of Hayden Valley in the heart of Yellowstone. The white-coated female and her devoted mate founded the Hayden Valley pack in 2004. One year later, the Canyon Alpha Female, also known as White Lady, was born as one of two pups to the alpha pair.

Surviving harsh conditions

The Hayden Valley pack faced harsh conditions due to their higher-altitude territory in central Yellowstone. With deep snow during the winter and a scarcity of elk, the pack had to adapt by hunting bison—a dangerous but necessary prey. These challenges made survival difficult for pups, so the pack grew slowly and remained small, with each member playing a crucial role in the pack’s survival.

Mark Miller Wildlife Imagery/Alamy Stock

The loss of her parents

A wolf pack’s home territory defines where they hunt, so wolves will defend their territory to ensure they can feed their families. In 2007, tragedy struck the Hayden Valley pack when both alpha wolves, 540F and 541M, were killed during a territorial conflict with the larger Mollie's pack.

The rise of the Canyon pack

The Canyon Alpha Female, then just two years old, found herself leading a newly formed pack alongside two Mollie’s pack males, 712M and 587M. The three wolves established the Canyon pack, choosing her parents' former territory in Hayden Valley as their new home. As the Canyon Alpha Female carried on their legacy, her coat turned a glorious white over time, just as her mother's had, earning her the nickname White Lady.

A beloved icon

The Canyon pack, under White Lady's leadership, became one of the most well-known packs in Yellowstone. Often seen traveling the park's roads, White Lady and her family provided countless visitors with a rare opportunity to observe a white-coated wolf in the wild. Her beauty, strength, and grace made her beloved to all who knew her.

Wapiti Alpha Female

In 2010, White Lady gave birth to a daughter, the future Wapiti Alpha Female. Like her mother and grandmother before her, the Wapiti Alpha Female's coat turned white over the years. She paired with 755M (06’s former mate) in 2015, and the couple founded the Wapiti Lake pack, making 755M the only alpha male in Yellowstone history to found two packs (Lamar Canyon and Wapiti Lake). In a gracious act of love and devotion, White Lady and 712M moved their Canyon pack westward, making way for their daughter to establish her own family in the Hayden Valley—the very place where she was born.

A tragic end

On April 11, 2017, White Lady was found mortally wounded inside Yellowstone National Park. Rangers determined that she had suffered a gunshot wound, a criminal act of poaching in a protected area. Despite efforts to save her, White Lady had to be euthanized due to the severity of her injuries. Her death was a tragic loss to the park and to all who admired her. A large reward remains available for information that leads to the arrest of the person(s) who killed her.

Michelle Holihan; Alamy Stock

A legacy of devotion

White Lady was 12 years old at the time of her death, making her one of the few wild wolves to live to old age. As the longtime alpha female of the Canyon pack, she produced eight litters of pups, including a litter at 11 years of age. Her devotion to her mate, 712M, and her family was evident throughout her life, as they remained together for nine years, the longest mated pair on record for Yellowstone wolves.

Remembering White Lady

The loss of White Lady was deeply felt by all who knew her, and her legacy continues through her descendants who still roam Yellowstone today. The deep family bonds she shared with her pack remind us of the love and devotion we cherish within our own families. Our hearts bleed white for White Lady, whose memory remains a powerful symbol of the wild beauty she embodied and human selfishness.