NEWS RELEASES
NPS To Relocate Wolves To Lake Superior’s Isle Royale NP
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through NPS's website.
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Following three years of study, the National Park Service (NPS) announced plans to relocate grey wolves to Isle Royale National Park to restore the predator-prey dynamic on the island. The wolf population on the island in Lake Superior has dwindled to just two related wolves, making the natural recovery of the wolf population unlikely. The predators were traditionally a check on the resident moose population, which has increased without predator pressure, raising the possibility of damage to the forest environment through overgrazing, and ultimately starvation of the moose themselves.
The plan calls for the NPS to introduce between 20-30 wolves on the island in the next three to five years to fulfill their function as apex predators. Historically, this is the average number of wolves on Isle Royale and is expected to have an immediate effect on the island moose population. Wolves have been present for more than 65 years, and played a key role in the ecosystem. The predators reached the island originally from the mainland via ice bridges, which form more rarely now thanks to climate change. Find out more on the Isle Royale National Park website.
To receive more info and photos on the introduction of wolves into Isle Royale National Park, view here.