Three principal conclusions can be drawn from the results of this
experiment: (1) It is possible to transplant a pack of wild wolves into
a new range. That new range, however, must be large enough to permit
some initial wandering. The animals cannot be expected to establish a
home range centered on or even including the point of release. (2) The
habitat in Upper Michigan apparently is adequate to support wolves, in
terms of food and cover, for the carcasses of the two experimental
wolves that could be examined intact had maintained or improved their
condition during their 6-to-8-month residence in Michigan. (3) The
reason for the failure of the experimental wolves to re-establish
themselves was direct mortality by human beings, just as Hendrickson et
al. (1975) concluded was the case for the failure of native and
immigrant Michigan wolves to re-establish a population. This mortality
probably is related to two factors, negative human attitudes toward
wolves and accessibility of humans to wolf range.
We are convinced that, ecologically, wolves can be re-established in
Upper Michigan. However, a successful program of re-establishment will
require the following:
1. A survey of public attitudes in Upper Michigan toward re-establishing
wolves,
2. An intensive public relations campaign to promote an understanding of
wolf ecology and the benefits of a wolf population,