A radio collar that was used to track a young female wolf in Banff National Park about twenty years ago has been found in Montana almost 500 kilometres away.

Parks Canada wildlife ecologist Jesse Whittington says Wolf 57 was part of the Fairholme pack. While it’s not certain how the wolf ended up in Montana, Whittington said it shows the importance of wildlife corridors.

When Wolf 57’s disappeared, the Fairholme pack was made up of about 15 wolves — probably one of the biggest packs in Banff National Park’s history, Whittington said. Whittington stated that park officials first lost track of Wolf 57 when she made a trip into the Elbow River via Kananaskis Country in March of 2003.

Despite the details of Wolf 57’s fate being unknown, Jodi Hilty, the president and chief scientist of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, said it demonstrates animals like wolves can exist on a larger land scale than previously imagined.

Banff to Kalispell is close to 480 kilometres, and Banff’s wolves are travellers who may cover 30 to 50 kilometres in a day, Whittington said. Wildlife experts say it’s not uncommon for young wolves to leave their packs, and travel distances can vary. Last March, for example, parks staff were able to track a young male collared wolf as he made his way to Montana. Outside of protected areas, there are jurisdictions with laws that allow wolves to be killed, sometimes for money.

For wolves to make the trip from one protected area to another, Hilty said the conservation of open land and wildlife corridors is crucial.