The fires of 1988 impacted the diverse wildlife of the world's first national park, but not as much as many people thought. Research has shown that some animals benefitted from the fires, some suffered and some may not have noticed the flames at all.
BEARS Good shape Bottom line: No dead grizzly or black bears were found. Some dead black bears were found outside the park. One grizzly with a radio collar disappeared. Long term: Twenty-eight percent of white-bark pine - a staple of big bears - was lost. Biologists say there are enough white-bark pines to support current number of grizzlies.
ELK Partially affected Bottom line: Of about 300 documented large mammals lost, 246 were Rock Mountain elk, including a group of about 150 caught in a canyon. Most suffocated. Roughly 5,000 elk died the next winter. Long term: The elk population, due in a large part to the vast forage available in the summers following the fires, rebounded to the 1988 level within two years.
MOOSE Suffered Bottom line: Of the large mammals, moose were the most impacted. Only two were known to have died, but the winter of 1988-89 took its toll. Long term: Moose rely on the canopy of mature forests for winter range and feed - the exact forest burned in the fires. Yellowstone's moose population will likely stay low for many years to come.
BISON Good shape Bottom line: Nine dead bison were found in the ashes of 1988. In comparison, 569 were killed by federal officials in the winter of 1988-89 by federal officials after the animals left Yellowstone boundaries. Long term: Like the elk, bison thrived in the years after the fires, feasting on the forage available in burned areas.
BIGHORN SHEEP/PRONGHORN Partially affected Bottom line: Biologists refer to these two mammals as "fire neutral species." None of the critical winter range of either species burned in the fires of 1988. Long term: They do not frequent the lodgepole forests that burned. Pronghorn are most susceptible to predation and drought. Bighorns' biggest threat is disease.
CUTTHROAT TROUT Good shape Bottom line: The Yellowstone cutthroat trout, already declining due to a loss of habitat, whirling disease and competition with non-native species, escaped any major impacts. Long term: Biologists reported a couple of small streams that suffered fish kills as a result of the 1988 flames, but Yellowstone fish were largely unaffected by the fires.
BIRDS Good Shape Bottom line: Five bald eagle nests were destroyed, but no dead national symbols were found. Osprey still had chicks in nests when the fires started; at least 17 were lost. Long term: Many birds use dead trees as homes and find insects vital for life. Woodpeckers, flycatchers and seedeaters were seen in high numbers in the years following the fires.
SMALL MAMMALS Partially affected Bottom line: Most of the wildlife research in the months and years following the 1988 fires focused on the large charismatic animals. But there is no doubt that many of the small mammals of the old-growth forest were lost in the fires' devastation. Long term: High reproductive rates and the availability of sedge and seeds in the following years allowed animals to recover quickly. Bighorns, trout not severely affected; many species recover quickly.
Sources: Tom Olliff, director of the Yellowstone Center for Resources; Kerry Gunther, bear management biologist in Yellowstone National Park and "Yellowstone in the Afterglow: Lessons from the Fires".
Font Resize
ELK 
BIGHORN SHEEP/PRONGHORN
