National Park Service Weighs Options to Save Wolves of Isle Royale - National Humane Education Society

Paws Up!

To The National Park Service for considering steps to salvage wolf population of Isle Royale in Michigan.

Above the northernmost tip of Michigan is an island in Lake Superior about 45 miles long and 9 miles wide. This rugged island off the shore of southern Ontario is Isle Royale National Park. Isle Royal is a wild place managed by the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) — an agency operating under the U.S. Department of Interior.  Timber wolves, moose, river otter, and martens are native to the island, and remain protected from hunting and commercial development to this day. Unfortunately, unless swift and successful action is taken, there may be no future at all for the wolves of Isle Royale. 

Whereas the wolf population on the island was once self-sustained – in the 1980s, a tourist disregarded the NPS’ strict rule allowing no pets on Isle Royale. The tourist’s dog happened to be infected with the deadly and highly contagious parvovirus. The disease engulfed the local wolf population, which has been in steady decline ever since. To make matters worse, whereas frigid winter temperatures once froze the Lake Superior, allowing Canadian wolves to access Isle Royale, now the only way for wolves to reach the island is by human transport. Today, there are only two wolves on Isle Royale. While one is male and the other is female – the male is the female’s father, and they both have the same mother. This “genetic bottle-necking” which often occurs after the scourge of an epidemic means that the two wolves will never be expected to have healthy offspring. Every cub born to the pair  thus far has suffered from fatal deformities.

According to a recent news article, the NPS is considering a move that could restore wolves to Isle Royale National Park. One option details the introduction of up to thirty wolves from Canada onto the island over the next 3 to 5 years. If successful, the wolf population could rebound. Isle Royale National Park is accepting comments from the public until March 15, 2017.

Take action. Visit NPS’ online comment form and encourage Isle Royale National Park to restore wolves to one of their last remaining footholds in the eastern U.S.