Photo courtesy of National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation
HOUGHTON, MICH- During a narrow weather window between storms last week, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) successfully transferred four wolves to Isle Royale National Park. Earlier this winter, severe weather on both sides of the border hampered the ability to capture and transfer wolves. However, NPS staff worked diligently with ONMRF and over the course of four days successfully translocated Canadian wolves. Two mainland wolves, one female and one male from the same pack and both with a black coat color variation, were captured on crown land near Wawa, Ontario, and transferred to Isle Royale. Weather cleared long enough on Thursday to provide an opportunity to access Michipicoten Island Provincial Park, where two males were captured.
All the wolves were captured using OMNRF aircraft. The operation was coordinated by Kevin Middel, OMNRF, and Brent Patterson, OMNRF researcher and Trent University adjunct professor. Two National Park Service veterinarians, Michelle Verant and Jenny Powers along with Graham Crawshaw, an OMNRF veterinarian, supported the project to ensure animal welfare and assess the health of the wolves to be transferred. Two veterinarians completed health assessments in Wawa and one veterinarian received the wolves on Isle Royale to ensure they were fit for release. All four wolves were evaluated based on expectations for winter body conditions and deemed healthy enough for transfer and release.
The first Canadian wolf, a 65 pound female, arrived at Isle Royale on Tuesday afternoon. The next day, OMNRF successfully captured a large 92 pound male from the same pack. He was held for evaluation and transported to Isle Royale and released on Thursday. The clear skies on Thursday finally allowed OMNRF to reach Michipicoten Island Provincial Park. While there, they captured two male wolves, one at the very end of the day as operations were winding down. The first was delivered directly to Isle Royale and released in the late evening hours under clear starry skies on Thursday. The team also captured the alpha male of the Michipicoten Island pack. He was transported and released on Isle Royale Friday.
“I am impressed by the resilience this international team showed to overcome adversity and meet project objectives: polar vortex, federal government shutdown, complex aviation logistics, the list is endless,” stated Mark Romanski, Division Chief of Natural Resources for Isle Royale National Park and project manager for the reintroduction efforts. He continued, “I am even more blown away by the resilience of these wolves who within hours after undergoing capture and handling and arriving on Isle Royale, immediately got on the trail of their pack mates. These large males, all around 90 lbs., will almost certainly know what to do when they encounter a moose.”
NPS made the decision to restore predation, a key ecosystem dynamic, to Isle Royale National Park last June and sourcing the startup population from diverse geographic areas was essential to ensure genetic diversity. Canadian wolves have been a critical component to future success and graciously Ontario Premier Doug Ford approved the operation in October to support NPS objectives. Understanding the goal of balancing the male/female wolf ratio on Isle Royale combined with a need for robust wolf genetics from Canada, OMNRF personnel remained committed to providing wolves from Ontario to support the repopulation of Isle Royale. Knowing weather could prevent access to Michipicoten Island, OMNRF worked with NPS to develop a strategy to acquire wolves from the mainland in Ontario if they were unable to access the island.
Superintendent of Isle Royale National Park, Phyllis Green stated: “ to see these wolves disappear into the forests of Isle Royale and to have an opportunity to start a new generation of wolves on the island fulfilled a major objective in the first year of reestablishing the population. The success reflected six months of planning and represented a major accomplishment by the agencies involved.” Changing ice conditions and winter storms foiled a previous attempt to acquire the Canadian wolves. This week afforded only four operating days between weather windows and the success of the operations can be attributed to the planning and expertise of the OMNRF. Green cited the amazing aircraft resources of the OMNRF, normally used for firefighting, which were critical in capturing the wolves and delivering them to Isle Royale National Park.
Additionally, the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (NPLSF) has played a crucial role in supporting and documenting the translocation efforts from Canada. When this translocation phase of the project experienced cost overruns due to weather, the Chair, Sona Mehring, worked with the International Wolf Center to ensure the operation continued through the end of the week. The Foundation plans to continue to support the remaining two years of the project and is developing documentary films regarding the project for audiences of all ages.
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www.nps.gov
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for the 417 parks in the National Park System and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
Investigating the feeding habits of wolves in central Greece
From Science Discoveries:
Portrayed as fearsome creatures in mythology, wolves are also seen by farmers as killing machines that prey on their livestock. Consequently, the European grey wolf has been intensely persecuted across Europe in the past, and is now extinct in many European countries. However according to recent data, the wolf population is on the rise after legal protection of the species and restoration of its habitats. Researchers are now investigating how humans and wolves can coexist.
Understanding the feeding habits of wolves is crucial in protecting wolf populations, while reducing their predatory impact on domestic animals such as sheep, goats, cattle and pigs. This is especially important where wolves live in human-dominated landscapes such as southern Europe. In such areas of high human activity such as livestock raising, wolves have come to rely heavily on livestock and human refuse.
Click here for the full story.
Wildlife photographer turns lens on wolves killed with neck snares
From BCLocalNews.com:
John Marriott’s passion for the environment and those who live there was sparked when the then six-year-old went on his first fishing trip to Scotch Creek.
“That’s where I first started to fall in love with wildlife,” says the photographer who is actively advocating for animals that are being treated inhumanely and do not have a voice of their own. “It was all shaped there in the Shuswap.”
Click here for the full story.
German environment minister Schulze takes aim at wolves
With the wolf population rising and on the prowl in Germany, Environment Minister Svenja Schulze is pushing for a new law to curb the damage they cause to farmers.
Schulze’s proposed “Lex Wolf” would make it easier to shoot the protected animals.
International Wolf Center Assists with Canadian Wolves Released at Isle Royale
Photo courtesy of National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation
HOUGHTON, MICH- During a narrow weather window between storms last week, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) successfully transferred four wolves to Isle Royale National Park. Earlier this winter, severe weather on both sides of the border hampered the ability to capture and transfer wolves. However, NPS staff worked diligently with ONMRF and over the course of four days successfully translocated Canadian wolves. Two mainland wolves, one female and one male from the same pack and both with a black coat color variation, were captured on crown land near Wawa, Ontario, and transferred to Isle Royale. Weather cleared long enough on Thursday to provide an opportunity to access Michipicoten Island Provincial Park, where two males were captured.
All the wolves were captured using OMNRF aircraft. The operation was coordinated by Kevin Middel, OMNRF, and Brent Patterson, OMNRF researcher and Trent University adjunct professor. Two National Park Service veterinarians, Michelle Verant and Jenny Powers along with Graham Crawshaw, an OMNRF veterinarian, supported the project to ensure animal welfare and assess the health of the wolves to be transferred. Two veterinarians completed health assessments in Wawa and one veterinarian received the wolves on Isle Royale to ensure they were fit for release. All four wolves were evaluated based on expectations for winter body conditions and deemed healthy enough for transfer and release.
The first Canadian wolf, a 65 pound female, arrived at Isle Royale on Tuesday afternoon. The next day, OMNRF successfully captured a large 92 pound male from the same pack. He was held for evaluation and transported to Isle Royale and released on Thursday. The clear skies on Thursday finally allowed OMNRF to reach Michipicoten Island Provincial Park. While there, they captured two male wolves, one at the very end of the day as operations were winding down. The first was delivered directly to Isle Royale and released in the late evening hours under clear starry skies on Thursday. The team also captured the alpha male of the Michipicoten Island pack. He was transported and released on Isle Royale Friday.
“I am impressed by the resilience this international team showed to overcome adversity and meet project objectives: polar vortex, federal government shutdown, complex aviation logistics, the list is endless,” stated Mark Romanski, Division Chief of Natural Resources for Isle Royale National Park and project manager for the reintroduction efforts. He continued, “I am even more blown away by the resilience of these wolves who within hours after undergoing capture and handling and arriving on Isle Royale, immediately got on the trail of their pack mates. These large males, all around 90 lbs., will almost certainly know what to do when they encounter a moose.”
NPS made the decision to restore predation, a key ecosystem dynamic, to Isle Royale National Park last June and sourcing the startup population from diverse geographic areas was essential to ensure genetic diversity. Canadian wolves have been a critical component to future success and graciously Ontario Premier Doug Ford approved the operation in October to support NPS objectives. Understanding the goal of balancing the male/female wolf ratio on Isle Royale combined with a need for robust wolf genetics from Canada, OMNRF personnel remained committed to providing wolves from Ontario to support the repopulation of Isle Royale. Knowing weather could prevent access to Michipicoten Island, OMNRF worked with NPS to develop a strategy to acquire wolves from the mainland in Ontario if they were unable to access the island.
Superintendent of Isle Royale National Park, Phyllis Green stated: “ to see these wolves disappear into the forests of Isle Royale and to have an opportunity to start a new generation of wolves on the island fulfilled a major objective in the first year of reestablishing the population. The success reflected six months of planning and represented a major accomplishment by the agencies involved.” Changing ice conditions and winter storms foiled a previous attempt to acquire the Canadian wolves. This week afforded only four operating days between weather windows and the success of the operations can be attributed to the planning and expertise of the OMNRF. Green cited the amazing aircraft resources of the OMNRF, normally used for firefighting, which were critical in capturing the wolves and delivering them to Isle Royale National Park.
Additionally, the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (NPLSF) has played a crucial role in supporting and documenting the translocation efforts from Canada. When this translocation phase of the project experienced cost overruns due to weather, the Chair, Sona Mehring, worked with the International Wolf Center to ensure the operation continued through the end of the week. The Foundation plans to continue to support the remaining two years of the project and is developing documentary films regarding the project for audiences of all ages.
##
www.nps.gov
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for the 417 parks in the National Park System and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
Killing wolves won’t save caribou herds, experts say
From CBC.ca:
Two wildlife researchers are calling the government of the Northwest Territories’ incentive for wolf hunters a political “distraction.”
In November 2018, the N.W.T. Department of Environment and Natural Resources reported that the Bathurst and Bluenose East caribou herds had collapsed. Both herds were reported to have declined more than 50 per cent since 2015. At the time, it was suggested that wolf predation could have played a role in the decline.
Click here for the full story.
Bill to Allow Wolf Hunts at Night Proposed in Montana
From the Flathead Beacon in Kalispell, Montana:
A Thompson Falls legislator has introduced a pair of bills that would allow hunters to kill wolves at night and permit trapping the animals along seasonally closed roads.
Click here for the full story.
Colville Tribe removes wolf hunting limits for members
From The SpokesmanReview in Spokane, Washington:
Colville Tribal hunters may now hunt wolves year-round on tribal grounds. The rule change, posted Friday, also removed a three-wolf season limit.
Wolf hunting was scheduled to end on the north half of the reservation at the end of February. The north half is comprised of tribal, state and federal land.
Click here for the full story.
Two Banff National Park wolf packs likely decimated by trappers
From TheNarwhal.ca:
In January, Craig Comstock did what he’s done many times over the years — loaded his two dogs into his vehicle and drove from his home in Calgary to the backcountry for a day hike.
Comstock, 44, is an avid outdoorsman — he hikes, fishes and hunts pheasants and partridges — but none of that prepared him for what he found in the bush.
Click here for the full story.
Legislators consider bills to increase the opportunity, methods to kill Montana wolves
From the MissoulaCurrent.com:
Almost every session, a few Montana legislators target certain wildlife species with their bills. This session, wolves are back in the crosshairs.
This week, the House Fish and Wildlife committee heard two of the more contentious bills aimed at killing more of Montana’s wolves. House Bill 551 would allow people to hunt wolves at night, and HB 552 would reduce the distance from roads where wolf traps can be set.
Click here for the full story.
Why Winter Is A Good Time To Track Wisconsin’s Wolf Packs
From WisContext.org:
As wolves returned to broad swaths of Wisconsin after decades of being extirpated from the state, a tracking program in which volunteers scout for the presence of this predator grew, too.
Since 1978, when the gray wolf (Canis lupus) was identified in Douglas County, the first sighting there in about two decades, the animal’s population across the state sharply increased. By the winter of 2017-2018, the minimum number of wolves in the state stood between 905 and 944, based on the annual count by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Click here for the full story.