Cameras and signs to be posted along Trezona Trail in Ely to warn users about recent wolf encounters
Contact:
Chad Richardson, communications director
International Wolf Center
Office: 763-560-7374, ext. 225
chad@wolf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Cameras and signs will soon be posted along the Trezona Trail in Ely to warn users of the trail about recent wolf encounters in the area. On Thursday, Aug. 15, a dog out for a run with its owner was attacked by a wolf at about 8:30 p.m. A report was made to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) by the dog’s owner, detailing his encounter with the wolf near the Shagawa Lake boat landing.
“As I was running, I heard a yelp from my dog behind me,” Ely resident Ted Schlosser said. “I turned around and saw that a wolf had him down on the ground. I screamed extremely loudly at it and it took off running with my dog into the woods. I immediately started chasing after him and screaming as loudly as I could. I had gotten into the woods about a hundred feet and my dog was free. The wolf was still standing there about twenty feet away. I took my dog out of the woods immediately. I was still about three-quarters of a mile from my pickup, so I proceeded to walk back to it. I had my other three dogs with me as well (all small dogs). After walking a few hundred yards, the wolf ran up to us again. He came close to the edge of the trail (about 50 feet away from us). I screamed at him again. We continued walking. A few hundred more feet, and he ran up to the edge of the trail again. I grabbed a large stick to carry and I yelled at him again. He started barking at me. He continued barking for quite a while and had a high tail posture.”
Lori Schmidt, the International Wolf Center wolf curator in Ely, manages the wolf helpline, a resource for local residents to report wolf issues and receive advice and consultations with local wildlife management agencies such as the DNR and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services office located in Grand Rapids.
“As a wolf curator with over 33 years of wolf behavioral experience, I know that barks are a threat display, and a high tail means the animal is confident, and it may indicate aggressive arousal,” Schmidt said. “Wolves with low, tucked tails are more fearful and may be easier to deter. This animal may be food conditioned towards people. If anyone has issues with wolves on the Trezona or anywhere in the Ely area, contact the Wolf Helpline at 365-4695 ext. 134. If you have a concern of an imminent threat, calls should be made to the local conservation officer or 911.”
The dog was treated at the Ely vet clinic with a single wound on his right shoulder.
Schmidt will coordinate with Vermilion Community College’s Wildlife Society Chapter to deploy wildlife cameras and signs, identify the patterns of wolf presence and attempt to deploy negative conditioning techniques to deter the wolf from the area. The fall season can be particularly problematic for wolf issues as the presence of pups in a pack can create a lot of food pressure. This may leave some younger animals to go hungry, scavenge or disperse and become loners in search of another wolf and a new territory. Wolf pups are very mobile this time of the year, so if this wolf is associated with a pack and pups, the chances are they will move on relatively quickly.
It is important that human-related food supplies such as garbage, dog food, even remnants of bird or deer feeders are removed, as they can serve as an attractant for wolves.
The Voyageur National Park wolf project recently posted a notice on its Facebook page about a yearling male wolf that was collared on May 23 as a 60-pound yearling with adequate fat reserves, but died of starvation on Aug. 9 weighing 31 pounds. Other times of the year when wolf-human interactions can be more intense are during the winter breeding season, January to March and the pup denning season, April to May.
Effective Dec. 19, 2014, Minnesotans can no longer legally kill a wolf except in the defense of human life, and wolves are a federally protected species managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The wolf is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, which does allow for control measures from the USDA Wildlife Services program. In the case of the Trezona Trail, the area has a high concentration of human use and would not be conducive to trapping wolves and the USDA abides by depredation management zones, with the Trezona Trail area being north of the line for removal for domestic livestock depredation.
Wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare, and we know of no such attacks in the Superior National Forest even though wolves have never been been exterminated there. Minnesota DNR Large Carnivore Specialist, Dan Stark, offers recommendations to deal with wolf issues.
Dog Safety
- People with pets should avoid area until time passes or no additional wolf observations/incidents occur
- Keep dogs on leash, so wolves are less likely to approach people
- Don’t allow dogs to run loose or range away, keep in close contact and control
- Don’t try to intervene if dog is actively being attacked
- Carry bear/pepper spray – It can be used to deter attack or spray both if wolf is actively attacking dog. The dog will need some recovery time, but the effects of bear spray are temporary and non-lethal
People
- Don’t run, but act aggressively, stepping toward the wolf and yelling or clapping your hands if it tries to approach.
- Do not turn your back toward an aggressive wolf, but continue to stare directly at it. If you are with a companion and more than one wolf is present place yourselves back to back and slowly move away from the wolves. Retreat slowly while facing the wolf and act aggressively.
- Stand your ground if a wolf attacks you and fight with any means possible (use sticks, rocks, ski poles, fishing rods or whatever you can find).
- Use air horns or other noise makers.
- Use bear spray
- Climb a tree if necessary
Minnesota’s most recent wolf population estimate within Minnesota’s wolf range was 2,655 wolves and 465 wolf packs during the winter of 2017-2018. The estimate is statistically unchanged from the previous winter, according to the Minnesota DNR. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a rule in March 2019 that proposes the delisting of gray wolves from threatened or endangered status under the Endangered Species Act in the contiguous United States.
The International Wolf Center will continue to provide information as this delisting process progresses.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. For more information about the International Wolf Center, visit wolf.org.
Wolves Gave Tibetan Mastiffs Their Mountaineering Genes
From Smithsonian.com:
In the mountains, Tibetan mastiffs dare to tread where other pups would drop their squeaky toys and whimper with exhaustion. The massive, 150-pound animals thrive at high altitudes, and now researchers know why: the mastiffs have a little extra dose of wolf in their genes.
The big, furry dog breed with a lion-like mane may date back as far as 1,100 B.C., when it began its role as a high-altitude guard dog. Tibetan people have used mastiffs guard their flocks of sheep from predators, like wolves, for centuries. The dogs lived alongside their human companions at altitudes of 15,000 feet or higher, heights in which average dogs wouldn’t withstand the lack of oxygen.
Click here for the full story.
Scientists urge five-country collaboration to save Himalayan wolf
From The Times of India:
SHIMLA: Wildlife Institute scientist Salvador Lyngdoh camped in Mane, a village approximately 4000 metres above sea level and juxtaposed to the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary in the Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh.
His mission was to radio collar the Himalayan wolf and learn about the enigmatic predator of the higher Himalayas.
Click here for the full story.
Another wolf relocated to Isle Royale National Park
From wnmufm.org:
ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK– An Upper Peninsula wolf has joined 14 others on Isle Royale National Park.
The 70-pound, three-year-old male was captured on the mainland last week and flown by sea plane to the moose-laden island. It marks the second year of the National Park Service’s efforts to restore predation to Isle Royale after wolf numbers decreased to only two. Since last September 12 other wolves were brought from Ontario, Canada, Minnesota, and a Canadian island.
Click here for the full story.
Video images of first wolf cubs in Netherlands for 200 years
From DutchNews.nl:
A filmmaker has captured the clearest pictures yet of the wolf pack that is living in the Veluwe national park. At least three cubs have been born in the pack and rangers say there could be as many as five young wolves living with the three adults. The pictures, taken by wildlife photographer Patrick van Es, show two of the cubs walking across the heathland.
Click here for the full story.
Cameras and signs to be posted along Trezona Trail in Ely to warn users about recent wolf encounters
Cameras and signs to be posted along Trezona Trail in Ely to warn users about recent wolf encounters
Contact:
Chad Richardson, communications director
International Wolf Center
Office: 763-560-7374, ext. 225
chad@wolf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Cameras and signs will soon be posted along the Trezona Trail in Ely to warn users of the trail about recent wolf encounters in the area. On Thursday, Aug. 15, a dog out for a run with its owner was attacked by a wolf at about 8:30 p.m. A report was made to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) by the dog’s owner, detailing his encounter with the wolf near the Shagawa Lake boat landing.
“As I was running, I heard a yelp from my dog behind me,” Ely resident Ted Schlosser said. “I turned around and saw that a wolf had him down on the ground. I screamed extremely loudly at it and it took off running with my dog into the woods. I immediately started chasing after him and screaming as loudly as I could. I had gotten into the woods about a hundred feet and my dog was free. The wolf was still standing there about twenty feet away. I took my dog out of the woods immediately. I was still about three-quarters of a mile from my pickup, so I proceeded to walk back to it. I had my other three dogs with me as well (all small dogs). After walking a few hundred yards, the wolf ran up to us again. He came close to the edge of the trail (about 50 feet away from us). I screamed at him again. We continued walking. A few hundred more feet, and he ran up to the edge of the trail again. I grabbed a large stick to carry and I yelled at him again. He started barking at me. He continued barking for quite a while and had a high tail posture.”
Lori Schmidt, the International Wolf Center wolf curator in Ely, manages the wolf helpline, a resource for local residents to report wolf issues and receive advice and consultations with local wildlife management agencies such as the DNR and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services office located in Grand Rapids.
“As a wolf curator with over 33 years of wolf behavioral experience, I know that barks are a threat display, and a high tail means the animal is confident, and it may indicate aggressive arousal,” Schmidt said. “Wolves with low, tucked tails are more fearful and may be easier to deter. This animal may be food conditioned towards people. If anyone has issues with wolves on the Trezona or anywhere in the Ely area, contact the Wolf Helpline at 365-4695 ext. 134. If you have a concern of an imminent threat, calls should be made to the local conservation officer or 911.”
The dog was treated at the Ely vet clinic with a single wound on his right shoulder.
Schmidt will coordinate with Vermilion Community College’s Wildlife Society Chapter to deploy wildlife cameras and signs, identify the patterns of wolf presence and attempt to deploy negative conditioning techniques to deter the wolf from the area. The fall season can be particularly problematic for wolf issues as the presence of pups in a pack can create a lot of food pressure. This may leave some younger animals to go hungry, scavenge or disperse and become loners in search of another wolf and a new territory. Wolf pups are very mobile this time of the year, so if this wolf is associated with a pack and pups, the chances are they will move on relatively quickly.
It is important that human-related food supplies such as garbage, dog food, even remnants of bird or deer feeders are removed, as they can serve as an attractant for wolves.
The Voyageur National Park wolf project recently posted a notice on its Facebook page about a yearling male wolf that was collared on May 23 as a 60-pound yearling with adequate fat reserves, but died of starvation on Aug. 9 weighing 31 pounds. Other times of the year when wolf-human interactions can be more intense are during the winter breeding season, January to March and the pup denning season, April to May.
Effective Dec. 19, 2014, Minnesotans can no longer legally kill a wolf except in the defense of human life, and wolves are a federally protected species managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The wolf is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, which does allow for control measures from the USDA Wildlife Services program. In the case of the Trezona Trail, the area has a high concentration of human use and would not be conducive to trapping wolves and the USDA abides by depredation management zones, with the Trezona Trail area being north of the line for removal for domestic livestock depredation.
Wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare, and we know of no such attacks in the Superior National Forest even though wolves have never been been exterminated there. Minnesota DNR Large Carnivore Specialist, Dan Stark, offers recommendations to deal with wolf issues.
Dog Safety
People
Minnesota’s most recent wolf population estimate within Minnesota’s wolf range was 2,655 wolves and 465 wolf packs during the winter of 2017-2018. The estimate is statistically unchanged from the previous winter, according to the Minnesota DNR. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a rule in March 2019 that proposes the delisting of gray wolves from threatened or endangered status under the Endangered Species Act in the contiguous United States.
The International Wolf Center will continue to provide information as this delisting process progresses.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. For more information about the International Wolf Center, visit wolf.org.
Aidan, an ambassador wolf at the International Wolf Center, and former pack leader passed away on 8/14/19.
Possible rupture of mast cell tumors is likely the main cause.
Contact:
Chad Richardson, communications director
International Wolf Center
Office: 763-560-7374, ext. 225
chad@wolf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Aidan, an 11-year-old ambassador wolf at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, died on Wednesday August 14th. He was the longtime pack leader at the Center, earning the role in 2011.
Aidan had been taken to the Ely Veterinary Clinic the day before for a medical exam and surgical removal of a mast cell tumor on his neck. The removal of this single mass was a success, but further diagnostic tests were done to understand the depth of his condition. He was recovering from the surgery, but he died the following morning. Wolf Curator, Lori Schmidt noted, “His last morning was spent with two core wolf care staff and very calm social interactions. His level of trust and social bonding with the staff was there until the end.”
This was not Aidan’s first bout with these tumors. He had two surgeries in 2017 and one in February of 2019 to remove tumors. Immune suppressants were used to slow the growth of these mast cells, but in the end weren’t enough to keep the tumors from growing.
Aidan joined the Center’s pack in 2008 with his littermate Denali, both Rocky Mountain subspecies of wolves. Aidan was moved into the retirement enclosure in the summer of 2018.
He and his packmates have educated tens of thousands of visitors at the Center’s exhibit in Ely, as well as thousands of people throughout the world through regular YouTube videos, wolf logs and webcams.
In an effort to learn more about Aidan’s condition, he was transported to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostics Lab for a necropsy. Those results will further educate staff as the Center continues to manage the remaining wolves at the Center’s facility in Ely.
“This news hits us all especially hard,” said Chad Richardson, the Center’s administrator. “Aidan’s prior six years as the pack leader taught us staff members and the public so much about pack leaders and their important role. We were able to watch him take on the leadership position and then looked on in awe and sadness when his fellow pack members began testing him in 2017 and 2018. Moving him to retirement was the right decision, but none of us were ready to see him pass away within a year of that move.
“Our Wolf Care staff did everything they could to make his time in retirement as comfortable as possible. Our staff tried every possible treatment that our veterinarian suggested. Sadly, nothing worked.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. For more information about the International Wolf Center, visit wolf.org.
Minnesota state parks to feature Wolves at Our Door presentations
The International Wolf Center is working with state parks in Minnesota to offer its popular Wolves at Our Door program this summer.
So far, these programs have been added to the schedule:
Additional presentations will be posted here when scheduled.
Gene transcripts from ancient wolf analyzed after 14,000 years in permafrost
From Eurekalert.com:
RNA — the short-lived transcripts of genes — from the “Tumat puppy”, a wolf of the Pleistocene era has been isolated, and its sequence analyzed in a new study by Oliver Smith of the University of Copenhagen and colleagues publishing on July 30 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. The results establish the possibility of examining a range of RNA transcripts from ancient organisms, a possibility previously thought to be extremely unlikely because of the short lifespan of RNA.
Click here for the full story.
Wolf trapper certification class coming to Billings, Montana
From KULR8.com:
A wolf trapper certification class scheduled for Billings aims to educate those willing to learn, how to properly trap and conserve in the state of Montana.
The class will be a comprehensive education session taught by FWP staff and experienced wolf trappers.
Click here for the full story.
Suitable habitats of Indian Grey Wolves in eastern India lie outside protected areas, says study
From ResearchMatters.in:
In February 2019, people from three villages in the Jhargram district of West Bengal feared a wolf that had attacked eight people. Local newspapers reported that in a neighbouring village, three men sitting around a fire were attacked by a wolf, and one of them later died at a hospital. The increasing incidents of wolf attacks in the region was a cause of concern for those working in the fields. Finally, a wolf trying to hunt a sheep in the village was captured by the locals and handed over to the authorities. Often, villagers retaliate by poisoning wolves or killing them when they find their livestock missing. However, data shows that more wolves are attacked and killed by humans than humans are by wolves. During the British rule, wolves were declared as vermin, and about 200,000 wolves were reportedly killed in India.
Click here for the full story.