The Alpine Avalanche is a great source of information about West Texas wolves, and the clips below only begin to scratch the surface of their history. Wolves were hunted relentlessly in Texas, and by the 1940s they were considered a rarity. The last wolf in Texas wasn’t killed until 1970.
The following articles show some of the animosity towards the animals in their last days. Notice the running theme of the “she wolf”, which is also evident in the story of “Old Blackie.”
Alpine Avalanche – May 30, 1941, p. 2
Alpine Avalanche – February 8, 1946, p. 6
This lobo wolf was seen closer to Big Bend by two motorists. It’s notable that they would have shot it from their car if they had been armed–not the sort of road trip I imagine taking.
Alpine Avalanche – February 11, 1955, p. 7
This article also touches on the she wolf theme, but the most notable part is the mention of 1080 poison baits. Over 10,000 pounds of it were distributed in West Texas during the winter of 1954 alone. Thousands of coyotes, wolves, birds and other animals must have been killed as a result.
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