Two male and two female eastern timber wolves (_Canis lupus lycaon_),
live-trapped in Minnesota were released in March 1974 near Huron
Mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Their movements were
monitored by aerial radio-telemetry.
The wolves separated into a group of three and a single animal after
release. The single, a young female, remained in the release region in
an area of 346 square miles (896 km^{2}). The pack of three moved
generally westward for 13 days and then explored a 1,631 square-mile
(4,224 km^{2}) region but settled after 2 months in a 246 square-mile
(637 km^{2}) area about 55 miles (88 km) southwest of the release site.
The adult female, which mated while captive prior to release, failed to
whelp.
In early July, one male was killed by an automobile, and the other was
shot. The remaining female from the pack then began to move over a much
larger area again. On September 20th she was trapped by a coyote (_Canis
latrans_) trapper and shot. Two months later the single female was
killed by a deer (_Odocoileus virginianus_) hunter.
These results indicated that wolves can be transplanted to a new region,
although they may not settle in the release area itself. The
displacement of the translocated wolves in this experiment apparently
caused an initial increase in their daily movements, and probably
increased their vulnerability, at least during the first 2 months after
release. The two females examined post-mortem were in good physical
condition indicating that food supplies were adequate in Michigan.
Human-caused mortality was responsible for the failure of the wolves to
establish themselves. Therefore recommendations for a more successful
re-establishment effort include a stronger public-education campaign,
removal of the coyote bounty, and release of a greater number of
wolves.