The eastern timber wolf (_Canis lupus lycaon_) originally occurred
throughout the eastern United States and Canada but is now extinct in
most of the United States. The only substantial population left inhabits
northern Minnesota (Fig. 1). The estimated wolf population in the
Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota in winter 1972-73 was
about 390 (Mech 1973), and a tentative population estimate for the
entire state is 500 to 1,000 (Mech and Rausch 1975). A well known
population of about 15 to 30 wolves is also found in Isle Royale
National Park, Lake Superior, Michigan (Mech 1966; Wolfe and Allen 1973;
Peterson 1974).
[Illustration: _Fig. 1.--Original and present range of the Eastern
Timber Wolf_]
In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Hendrickson et al. (1975) estimated
the wolf population in 1973 at 6 to 10 animals, existing in three
scattered areas: Iron County, Northern Marquette County, and Chippewa
and Mackinac Counties (Fig. 2). Lone wolves made up 90 per cent of
verified wolf observations there in recent years, and no more than two
animals have been found together in at least the past 13 years.
Hendrickson et al. (1975) postulated that the current low wolf
population is maintained through possible sporadic breeding and
immigration from Ontario and Minnesota (via Wisconsin), but is
suppressed by illegal shooting and losses incidental to coyote (_Canis
latrans_) bounty trapping.
The eastern timber wolf was classed as an endangered species in the
conterminous United States in 1967 under the Endangered Species Act of
1966. There then followed widespread national and international concern
and support for preserving natural wolf populations. Substantial
scientific and ethical arguments exist for preventing the extinction of
a species or subspecies of any plant or animal. In addition, the
presence of the wolf adds immeasurably to a wilderness experience; its
esthetic value is incalculable.
Thus in 1970, D. W. Douglass, Chief of the Wildlife Division, Michigan
Department of Natural Resources, suggested that restoration of a viable
population of wolves in Michigan would be desirable, especially if such
efforts could be supported by private organizations. In 1973 the Huron
Mountain Wildlife Foundation and the National Audubon Society offered
financial support, and we undertook this pilot project to obtain
information necessary for a full-scale restoration effort.
The objectives of the research project were to determine whether (1)
wild wolves could be moved to a new location, (2) such translocated
wolves could remain in the new area, (3) they could learn to find and
procure enough food in the new area, (4) they could tolerate and survive
human activities, and (5) they would breed and help to re-establish a
new population in Upper Michigan.
As background we had the results of three previous attempts to
transplant wolves to new areas. In 1952, one male and three female zoo
wolves were released on Isle Royale (Mech 1966). They were attracted to
humans, became nuisances, and had to be disposed of. Two were shot, one
was captured and returned to the mainland, and the male escaped; his
fate is unknown.
The second transplant effort took place on uninhabited, 36-square-mile
(92 km^{2}) Coronation Island in southeastern Alaska (Merriam 1964; Mech
1970). In 1960, two male and two female, 19-month-old captive wolves,
were released there. They learned to prey on black-tailed deer
(_Odocoileus hemionus columbianus_), and multiplied to about 11 members
by 1964.
In the third case, two male and three female laboratory wolves from
Barrow, Alaska were released near Umiat in August 1972, 175 miles (282
km) southeast of Barrow (Henshaw and Stephenson 1974). Eventually, all
moved toward centers of human habitation and three were shot within 7
months. A fourth returned to the pens where she was reared, and was
recaptured, while the fate of the fifth wolf remains unknown. Three of
the five had taken the correct homing direction.
Because results of the earlier attempts at translocating wolves
suggested that pen-reared wolves did not fare well in the wild, we
decided to use wild wolves that were accustomed to fending for
themselves and avoiding people. They would have to be released in the
most inaccessible area we could find and encouraged to stay there. To
maximize their chances of breeding, we would have to try to obtain
animals with already established social ties, that is, members of the
same pack. Approval was obtained from the Minnesota Department of
Natural Resources to live-trap up to five wolves in Minnesota, and a
permit was granted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to
release up to five in Upper Michigan.
This bulletin describes the results of the experimental translocation.