Wolf update.

There have been a few losses, an unexpected litter, and the money's been a bit tight, but those involved in the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone say they're pleased with the first year of the program. In fact, the reintroduction plan is ahead of schedule because most of the wolves have survived and made their home in Yellowstone.

Two of the three original packs have set up a permanent territory in the park, but one rogue pack has ventured out of the park boundaries to the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. Scientists aren't worried, however, because it's still considered part of the recovery zone.

"We predicted a little more movement," said Bob Crabtree, director of Yellowstone Ecosystem Studies, a nonprofit group. "But the fact is that Yellowstone Park is an excellent habitat for wolves, with plenty of territory and prey such as elk and bison."

One pack even had eight pups. which was not expected in the first year, since the wolves were handled by humans during their transport from Canada and kept in holding pens in the park before being released into the wild.

But it hasn't been all good news. One wolf developed an appetite for sheep and had to be destroyed. Another was shot and a pup was hit by a delivery truck. Funding for the program has also suffered from a hostile Congress, and donations from private sources have been needed to keep the program afloat. Livestock owners are still leery about wolves in their territory as are hunters.

"Hunters say they don't want wolves killing their elk," says Ted Koch, who leads the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Wolf Recovery Project in Idaho. "but poachers kill at least five times as much elk as a full pack of wolves."

This past January, 17 more wolves were flown into Yellowstone Park with the tall order of repeating the success the original packs experienced. Most biologists and park officials are cautiously optimistic that the new project or the wolves will see the second anniversary of the wolf recovery project.

"We feel like we've had a really good start," says Marsha Kale, spokesperson for Yellowstone Park. "Even if our funding runs low, the only thing it will do is take us a little longer to reach our goals."