Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

An unparalleled opportunity for an important ecological study

October 25, 2017

Wolves (Canis lupus) and moose (Alces americanus) have been studied since 1958 on 540-square-kilometer Isle Royale National Park, in Lake Superior. Wolves arrived there across the ice around 1949, and the population once increased to about 50, averaging about 25 annually (Mech 1966, Jordan et al. 1967, Vucetich and Peterson 2009). However, for various reasons, wolf numbers there have now dwindled to 2 nonbreeders, and the US National Park Service has proposed reintroducing 20–30 wolves over 3 years (National Park Service 2016). This situation offers an unparalleled opportunity to promote science-based management of this unique national park. The park has long been in the public eye for its world-renowned wolf and moose populations. Visitors to this island wilderness are especially interested in the scientific studies it has yielded and in maintaining its ecosystem.

Publication Year 2017
Title An unparalleled opportunity for an important ecological study
DOI 10.1093/biosci/bix095
Authors L. David Mech, Shannon Barber-Meyer, Juan Carlos Blanco, Luigi Boitani, Ludwig N. Carbyn, Glenn D. DelGuidice, Steven H. Fritts, Djuro Huber, O. Liberg, Brent Patterson, Richard P. Thiel
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title BioScience
Index ID 70192318
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center