The National Park Service confirmed that the wolves that have been re-introduced to Isle Royale in 2018 and 2019 are successfully reproducing.
GPS collar data from female wolf 014F, translocated from Michipicoten Island, Ontario, in March 2019 suggested denning in spring 2019. This wolf established several rendezvous sites that spring and summer. Images from a remote camera taken on September 29, 2019, reveal that wolf 014F likely gave birth to at least two pups. In addition, researchers at Michigan Technological University (MTU) observed a likely pup in February 2020, https://isleroyalewolf.org.
Researchers estimate only two pups at this time, but given the dense forest nature of Isle Royale, it’s difficult to get an exact number. A remote camera caught an image of a single pup this past July and researchers collected 13 pup-sized scat samples to try and determine how many pups were born to wolves 014F or 015F. It’s possible that the pups were conceived before being brought to the island.
This is encouraging news for the island to try and restore its wolf population, which was down to only two as of 2018. Restoring the wolf population has been difficult, especially considering that one of the wolves that were brought to the island simply peaced out and walked back across the frozen lake to Minnesota. 19 wolves were originally released onto the island and today, researchers estimate that there are 14. The population peaked at 50 wolves back in 1980 but it’s believed that the ideal number is around half of that.
The moose population this year has either remained stagnant or been reduced slightly, suggesting that the wolves are doing their part to maintain balance in the ecosystem. Since the elimination of the wolves, moose populations have skyrocketed. It certainly helps a growing wolf population that there is an abundance of prey. The latest count is estimated at 1,876 moose, accounting for a 9% decrease in their population.
Wolf sightings in the park are extremely rare as is, so don’t get too excited in hopes of seeing one (that is, when getting to the island is easy to do again since most methods of getting to the island are still closed). When I visited the island, our wolf safety briefing went along the lines of “If you actually see a wolf… please let us know. We also don’t know where they are.” Hopefully this will at least start to reduce your chance of accidentally running into a moose – that part I almost did at night and it was terrifying.
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