Will the Cottonwood pack's remaining six members survive?

Animal rights advocates and environmentalists have said the killing of the pack's two alpha wolves, as well as a collared female and pup, will result in the death of the pack's remaining wolves. The survivors include four adult gray males and two pups.

Doug Smith, Yellowstone National Park wolf biologist, said he can't say for certain.

"The status of the pack we don't know, because we can't find them," he said. "Since this occurred, we've been out looking for them. But that's super hard to do with no collars. Certainly if we see them in the winter we'll try to collar them and pick up the story."

Smith said he doesn't know if the pack members will stick together or disperse. But in other instances where the alpha wolves were killed, the wolves have gone separate ways.

"Typically the pack splits up," he said. "That's what's happened in the past."

With two of the pack's 5-month-old pups possibly on their own, they will have a difficult time, Smith said.

"Pups are not participating in the hunts at this time of the year," he said. "The adults could still be feeding them, or they could learn the ways of the wild soon."