What is the Future for Wolves and Caribou on Michipicoten Island? PAGE 4 Apparent Competition: Predator-Prey Relations in Multi-Prey Ecosystems PAGE 8 Researchers Visit Wolf Dens to Learn about Pup Survival and Wolf Population Dynamics PAGE 11 Wolf Den Store

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4 Silver Andrew 8 Adobe Stock / Thomas Hulik 11 Sam Cook What Is The Future for Apparent Competition: Researchers Visit Wolf Dens to Wolves and Caribou on Predator-Prey Relations in Learn about Pup Survival and Michipicoten Island? Multi-Prey Ecosystems Wolf Population Dynamics

Wolves on Isle Royale have been Not surprisingly, wolves have been As part of a state and tribal project studied for years. Now, a new drama implicated in those habitats where to understand how wolf populations plays out on Michipicoten Island, on numbers of prey animals are declining. grow, DNR researchers have for the east side of Lake Superior, where Yet studies where only one predator— several years visited wolf dens in the interactions of relatively new the wolf—and a single prey species Minnesota to learn about the condition populations of wolves and caribou live show that predator and prey and survival rates of wolf pups. gain attention from researchers and populations tend to track each other, Sam Cook wrote this piece for the conservationists. The author explains and there are multiple reasons for that. Duluth News Tribune. Statistics some of their findings. have been updated. By Debra Mitts-Smith By Tracy O’Connell By Sam Cook for the Duluth News Tribune

Exhibit Pack members On the Cover Luna and Boltz Departments in 2012. Photo: Adobe Stock/H. Kuchera 3 From the Executive Director Did you know? 14 Tracking the Pack One easy way for you to help us conserve 18 Wild Kids natural resources is to make sure we have your email address. 20 Wolves of the World Simply email your address to 24 Personal Encounter [email protected]. 26 A Look Beyond 28 Book Review International Wolf Center International Wolf You are invited to the 5th Annual Howl at the Moon Gala Publications Director Chad Richardson Support the International Wolf Center’s mission. Graphics Coordinator Carissa L. Winter Thursday, April 19, 2018 Consulting Editor Kristine Chapin 5:30 p.m. Social Hour, Appetizers and Silent Auction Technical Editor 7:00 p.m. Dinner, Program & Live Auction Dr. L. David Mech Graphic Designer Tricia Austin Midland Hills Country Club International Wolf (1089-683X) is published quarterly and copyrighted, 2018, by the 2001 Fulham Street, Roseville, MN 55113 International Wolf Center, 7100 Northland Circle N, Suite 205, Minneapolis, MN 55428, USA. email: [email protected]. All rights reserved. Publications agreement no. 1536338 Membership in the International Wolf Center includes a subscription to International Wolf magazine, free admission to the Center and discounts on programs and merchandise. Membership Levels: (in U.S. dollars) • Wolf Pup $25 (students • Wolf Associate $125 age 21 and under) • Wolf Tracker $250 • Lone Wolf $45 • Wolf Sponsor $500 (individual) • Alpha Wolf $1,000 Keynote Address by Emcee Lisa Daniels, • Wolf Pack $75 Wolf Researcher Kevin Doran, Leader of the Pack (family at same address) Outside the United States, please add an additional Rolf Peterson KSTP Anchor Award Recipient $15 to Wolf Pup, Lone Wolf, Wolf Pack and Wolf Associate memberships. For more information, to purchase tickets, Please mail membership payment to: International or to donate visit: Wolf Center Administrative Office, Attn: Membership, 7100 Northland Circle N, Suite 205, Minneapolis, http://www.wolf.org/howl-at-the-moon-gala/ MN 55428, USA. Contact the membership department with questions: 763-560-7374 ext. 230 or [email protected]. International Wolf is a forum for airing perspectives, science-based information and personal experiences about wolves. Articles and materials printed in International Wolf do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the International Wolf Center or its board of directors. International Wolf welcomes submissions of personal adventures with wolves and wolf pho­to­graphs. Prior to submission of other types of manuscripts,­ address queries to Chad Richardson, publications director. PHOTOS: Unless otherwise noted, or obvious from the caption or article text, photos are of captive wolves. International Wolf is printed entirely with soy ink. Paper 2018 use is offset with a donation from the Center through Print Releaf. We encourage you to recycle this magazine.

2 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org From the Executive Director

INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Do We Use Technology? Nancy jo Tubbs Lend Me Your Ear, My Friend Chair Dr. L. David Mech t a dinner party over the holidays, friends and I got to talking about my job at the Vice Chair International Wolf Center. I fielded the normal questions about wolves and our Debbie Hinchcliffe Secretary Center’s work regarding education. But then came an unexpected question. Paul B. Anderson A “How much do you use technology at your non-profit?” a friend asked. Treasurer The question felt as if it carried an implication—as though surely a non-profit couldn’t Cree Bradley be on pace with the rest of the world when it comes to technology. After the bruise to my Cindy Carvelli-Yu non-profit ego healed, I went on an extended technology-related rant. Rick Duncan Fitz Fitzgerald Obviously, my friend had no idea how we use technology to support Nancy Gibson our mission and connect with people around the world. From our interpre- Judy Hunter tive center in northern Minnesota, our employees use video conferencing Connie LaFond Deborah Wold Lewis to present live classroom programs to schools throughout North America. Aaron Morris In the wolf enclosures, webcams broadcast live video of our wolves 24/7. Mike Phillips Rob Schultz And nearly 2 million people visit our wolf.org website annually to learn Debbie Reynolds Jerry Sanders about wolves, download wolf research and scientific papers, and to dis- Paul Schurke cover all the ways the Center is making a difference. Dick Thiel I particularly enjoyed seeing the surprised look on his face when I shared that our wolf Keira Thrasher curator Lori Schmidt’s popular YouTube channel had just surpassed 42,000 subscribers. Then EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR there’s our Facebook page, the Twitter feed, our wolf photo collection on Pinterest, and even Rob Schultz a “Wolf Quest” app for your smartphone that our staff helped develop! Heck, we even use computers to watch the movement of wolf packs in the wild through GPS signals. MISSION The International Wolf Center And little did he know…I was just getting started. advances the survival Behind the scenes right now, we’re preparing to overhaul our “Wolves and Humans” exhibit of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their at our interpretive center in a cutting-edge way. Among suggestions for the new exhibit are a relationship to wildlands and howling simulation room, an animatronic wolf and the introduction of augmented reality! the human role in their future. Yes, we love to use technology. We use it well, and we always aim to use it better. Educating Educational services and the world about wolves isn’t an easy task, but technology allows us to keep in contact with informational resources are available at: n our members around the world. We’ll be using every tool imaginable to fulfill our mission. 1396 Highway 169 Sincerely, Ely, MN 55731-8129, USA 800-ELY-WOLF 218-365-4695 email address: [email protected] Rob Schultz www.wolf.org Executive Director

International Wolf Spring 2018 3 he Isle Royale ecosystem has been a focus of research for several years as the wolf popu- Tlation declined, and as a result, the number of moose on the island rebounded. Now, a new drama is playing out on another Lake Superior island and gaining attention from conservation- ists and researchers. Michipicoten Island lies just 10 miles (16 kilometers) offshore within the Canadian prov- ince of Ontario, and has been under the jurisdic- tion of Ontario Parks since the mid-1980s. The 71-square-mile (183-square-km) island’s native caribou population died out from over-hunting in the mid-1800s. In 1981, a single bull caribou was observed on the island, presumably crossing on a winter ice bridge. The following year, in an effort to repopulate Michipicoten’s historic stock of the species, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources relocated seven caribou there from the Slate Islands, an archipelago of small islands in northern Lake Superior that had been home to Ontario’s largest herd of these ungulates. The What Is The new herd grew—at times reflecting the largest growth rate seen anywhere for these animals— and reached an estimated 680 members by 2011 . In 2014, four wolves crossed an ice bridge

Andrew Silver Andrew Future for from the mainland onto Michipicoten Island and bred in this isolated environment perfect for a predator-prey study similar to that on Isle Royale. Some have suggested the wolves will eradicate the Wolves and caribou this year— especially if a second pack with Caribou on a breeding pair splits off. Six of the Michipicoten Michipicoten Island?

By TRACY O’CONNELL Brent Patterson

4 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org Some have suggested the wolves, which now are believed to number about 20, will eradicate the caribou this year—especially if a second pack with a breeding pair splits off.

Slate Islands marinas.com Canada

Isle Royale L a k e S u p e Michipicoten r i Island o r United States wolves were collared in 2015 by Brent Patterson, a research scientist for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, but only three collars are still sending data. Patterson that year found the caribou population to be down to approximately 300, roughly half of its highest estimate, according to an article ing in Canada and the northern United malleable surface copper. Serious mining on National Geographic’s website. States. Their name for the island refers attempts were made for about 50 years to the geography bordering the mouth starting in the mid-1800s. A lighthouse Michipicoten Island and the of the Michipicoten River on the nearby was established in 1912 on the eastern Ecological Significance of the Study mainland. Made up of ancient lava bed- end of the island and staffed until 1988. Michipicoten is the third-largest rock and heavily forested with several During the spring, summer and fall, island in Lake Superior (after Isle Royale inland lakes, Michipicoten has been sea kayakers visit the island, some as and St. Ignace), which itself is the largest termed a “floating island” in the lore of part of commercial tourism ventures, for of the five Great Lakes lying between the the Ojibwe people because a frequent stays of up to a week. Other visitors are United States and Canada. The island fog layer affects one’s experience of the owners of small, private landholdings, is in the northeastern part of the lake. island’s apparent size, location and other and commercial fishers. Charter boat and It is 16.8 miles (27 kilometers) long features. Shrouded in mystery, it was float plane are the typical ways to access and 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) wide at believed to be a place of malevolent the island, where abandoned mines and its widest point. spirits and giants. ramshackle buildings are scattered across The name is an adaptation of The island was once a source of cop- the interior, and a couple of shipwrecks Mishipikwadina, the term for “big bluffs” per for Ontario, recognized on French litter the waters near shore. In winter it used by the Ojibwe, native peoples liv- maps as early as 1647 with accounts of is usually uninhabited.

International Wolf Spring 2018 5 The caribou of Michipicoten are con- sidered ecologically important because they are, along with those of the Slate Islands all that “conclusively and verifi- ably remain” of a population once found throughout the federally-recognized ON6 Lake Superior caribou range, according to a 2012 report by the Canadian Wildlife Service. The 2016 caribou survey by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry/Parks Canada failed to con- clusively observe any caribou remaining along the north shore of Lake Superior, meaning that possibly, the region’s only surviving animals are on these islands. Other Factors Complicate the Scenario There is a third player in the wolf- caribou drama on Michipicoten—the beaver. With as many as 1,300 active lodges in autumn 2015, beaver num- bers are higher on Michipicoten than researcher Patterson has seen anywhere else in North America. The animals pro- vide a dietary mainstay for the wolves on Michipicoten during much of the

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry year while still keeping their numbers strong. During the winter, when beavers are locked under the ice, caribou become There is a third player in the the main menu option for the wolves. It might seem this narrow window wolf-caribou drama—the beaver. of vulnerability would not be so hard With as many as 1,300 active lodges, beavers…provide a dietary mainstay for the wolves on Michipicoten during much of the year. USFWS / Courtney Celley Gaines Pat

6 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org on the caribou, but the beaver presence upsets the balance between caribou and wolves. If the caribou were the only food source for the wolves, their declining numbers would result in a lower wolf population. The secondary food source, however, keeps the wolf numbers strong while the caribou struggle to repopulate in the presence of the predators. (See the effects of this phenomenon elsewhere in North America, page 9.) A similar situation seems to be playing out to the north. While the Slate Islands once had the larger caribou population, perhaps as high as 650, today far fewer of the ungulates survive on the Slates, according to Steve Kingston, a biologist at Ontario Parks. Winter ice bridges in 1994, 2014 and 2015 brought wolves to the Slates but by autumn 2017 there was no sign of continued wolf presence. A 1999 study of the stomach contents of

one wolf that died in 1996 on the Slates Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry showed it had recently fed on beaver, not caribou. T. Bergerud decades ago proposed a not only in the initial Ontario park set- Last fall the Canadian Broadcasting test to assess the viability of “the range ting, but in each instance where wolves Corporation (CBC) reported several hypothesis versus the predation hypoth- subsequently arrived via ice bridge on voices calling on the ministry to relo- esis” for explaining caribou popula- islands populated by caribou. cate the wolves from Michipicoten to tion declines. Bergerud, a population Bergerud and his research colleagues, protect the caribou that remain. One ecologist researching caribou in North writing in 2007, said, “These studies location that has been suggested: Isle America since 1955, is considered the strongly support the idea that ecosys- Royale, which lies across Lake Superior world’s foremost authority on the wood- tems without predators are limited bot- in United States waters off Minnesota. land caribou. His 30-year study (1974 to tom-up by food, and those with wolves Others urge that instead, the caribou 2004) of two caribou populations, one top-down by predation; however, the should be moved to save them. Possible in Ontario’s Pukaskwa National Park and proposed crucial test that has been initi- destinations include the Slate islands, the other on the Slates and neighboring ated on Michipicoten Island remains to and Leach and Montreal Islands in Lake islands, is considered the most compre- be completed, and population numbers Superior, where populations of caribou hensive ever done on the animals. offer a limited window of opportunity were killed off when winter ice bridges “Range” in Bergerud’s hypothesis for unequivocal results.” n brought wolves. refers to the ability of the caribou popula- In December 2017 the Minister tion to increase despite the lack of lichen Additional Reading of Natural Resources announced that on the Lake Superior islands. Lichen some caribou would be moved from had long been believed to be a mainstay Bergerud, et. al, Woodland caribou Michipicoten to the now predator-free of the woodland caribou’s winter diet, persistence and extirpation in relic Slates in January 2018 to help ensure the but this was disproven with Bergerud’s populations on Lake Superior, Rangifer, persistence of coastal caribou. Research research, which saw caribou numbers Special Issue No. 17: pp. 57-78, 2007. scientist Patterson, who also teaches increasing on the relatively lichen-free Environment Canada. 2012. Recovery part-time in the graduate Environmental islands. The predation hypothesis stated Strategy for the Woodland Caribou and Life Sciences program at Ontario’s that with the appearance of wolves, the (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Trent University, will continue to lead caribou numbers should decline. Due population in Canada. Species at Risk the ministry’s study of wolves on both to the lack of predators on the Slates Act Recovery Strategy Series. Michipicoten and the Slate Islands as and neighboring islands when the study part of a team that will investigate this was developed, Bergerud used a com- Tracy O’Connell is professor emeritus interplay of species. parable setting—a national park on the at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in marketing communications, and These are not the first studies of Canadian mainland—to see how wolves serves on the Center’s magazine and caribou and their predators in this affected the caribou. Caribou numbers communications committees. region. Canadian caribou expert Arthur did decline in the presence of wolves—

International Wolf Spring 2018 7 Adobe Stock / Krzysztof Wiktor Adobe Stock Campbell / Tony Adobe Stock / Kelly Vandellen Adobe Stock Hulik / Tomas Apparent Competition: Predator- Prey Relations Adobe Stock / brm1949 in Multi-Prey Ecosystems Adobe Stock / Jillian

8 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org or more than a decade concern tiple prey species available for wolves before and after the moose decline. To has grown about a decline in the to hunt and consume. Shannon Barber- estimate wolf numbers, they tracked Fnumber of moose in northeastern Meyer and Dr. L. David Mech explain and counted radio-collared wolves in Minnesota and woodland caribou in this in their paper, “White-tailed Deer the scat study area. certain parts of British Columbia. Many (Odocoileus virginianus) subsidize Gray Their study revealed that as the moose fear that both these iconic ungulates Wolves (Canis lupus) During a Moose population declined by more than half, are on the road to extinction in those (Alces americanus) Decline: A Case of the wolf population almost doubled areas. Not surprisingly, the predator that Apparent Competition?” In multi-prey during the same period (from 23 during shares these habitats—the wolf—has systems, when one prey species declines, 2001-2002 to at least 42 in 2010-2011 been implicated as a cause behind both the predator population can also go into and a minimum of 37 in 2012-2013). declining populations. decline (as in a single-prey system) or it The wolves’ most common prey were Yet studies of single predator-prey can expand its diet by hunting and feed- deer (fawns and adults), followed by ecosystems such as Isle Royale, where ing on an alternate prey species. In this moose calves and beavers. Barber-Meyer there is one predator (the wolf) and case, the predator’s numbers continue to and Mech suspect that wolf numbers did one prey species (the moose) show that increase because its diet is supplemented not initially decline along with the dip instead of the predator rendering the prey by the alternate prey species; at the same in moose numbers because of the abun- species extinct, the predator-prey popula- time, the predator also continues to dance of white-tailed deer in the study tions tend to track each other. When the feed on the primary prey species, thus area, suggesting that apparent competi- moose population increases, the number reducing it. Wildlife biologists call this tion may be at least partly responsible of wolves subsequently increases; more phenomenon “apparent competition.” for the continued moose decline. Wolves moose mean more food for wolves, and Barber-Meyer and Mech describe this began eating more deer, and deer sup- more wolves survive. With more wolves as occurring “when two prey species ported the higher wolf population. surviving, predation on moose increases, negatively interact through the sharing At the same time, the increased num- resulting in a decline in moose popula- of a common predator.” ber of wolves did not stop preying on tion. As the moose population dips there Barber-Meyer’s and Mech’s study moose calves, which in turn contrib- is less food for wolves, so fewer wolves focused on the predator-prey dynam- uted to the continued drop in moose survive. With fewer wolves hunting, ics of a multi-prey system located in the numbers. Wolf numbers, however, did more moose survive into adulthood, and east-central Superior National Forest in not decline for several years. The results their population begins to increase—and northeastern Minnesota. The wolves of the Barber-Meyers and Mech study the cycle begins again. there have three prey species available: suggest that the wolf-moose-deer rela- But ecosystems are complex, and many moose, white-tailed deer, and beavers, tionship may be an example of apparent factors can affect predator-prey num- with deer being most abundant. From competition. bers, including weather, climate change, 2006 to 2016, the moose population in Finally, it should be noted that fol- poor nutrition, disease, ticks, habitat loss this region decreased by 55 percent, from lowing the conclusion of this scat study, and human hunting. Two recent stud- approximately 8,900 to 4,000. The inves- Barber-Meyer and Mech found that wolf ies highlight yet another factor that may tigators sought to determine whether numbers also began to decline. This sug- be contributing to the decline of moose wolf numbers also fell, or whether wolves gests that the white-tailed deer popu- in northeastern Minnesota and caribou supplemented their diets by eating more lation, which at first supplemented the in the rain forests of British Columbia. of an alternate prey source, in this case, wolf’s diet, began to decline because of These two regions are multi-prey deer. The biologists compared wolf num- the increased wolf predation on it. The ecosystems, meaning that there are mul- bers and diet by analyzing wolf scats drop in deer numbers as well as the decreased moose population eventually began to limit wolf numbers. A second study, “Experimental Moose Reduction Lowers Wolf Density and Predator- Prey Relations Stops Decline of Endangered Caribou,” led by biologist Robert Serrouya inves- tigated the role of apparent compe- tition in the decline and recovery of in Multi-Prey Ecosystems woodland caribou in British Columbia. Extensive logging opened up forage in By DEBRA MITTS-SMITH the Columbia and Cariboo mountain ranges, triggering an influx of moose into a region once dominated by caribou. Moose are considered an invasive species there; they are also the primary

International Wolf Spring 2018 9 more predator species.” By removing ing as the moose and caribou decrease, the moose, one could indirectly reduce are instead increasing and continuing the number of wolves. Serrouya and to hunt and consume both moose and his team used this approach to test caribou. But they also suggest that the whether reducing the moose popula- underlying cause of the increase in the

David Cartier tion to earlier levels would lead to fewer wolf populations is not increased appe- wolves, thereby help- tite or ravenous behavior on the part of ing caribou recover. wolves. Instead, it is the presence of an The team estab- alternate prey species that helps keep lished a “treatment” wolves fed and their numbers high. In area and a “reference” addition, the mere vulnerability of any area in the Columbia of these prey animals to wolves is usu- and Cariboo moun- ally related to other factors including tain ranges. In the weather, diseases and parasites. treatment area, they These studies reveal the complexity increased human of ecosystems where a range of variables hunting to reduce the are at play, including weather and climate moose population. change; disease; the kinds, numbers, Three caribou herds and sizes of predator and prey species; inhabit that area. The human disturbance and destruction of Adobe Stock / ricktravel reference area had two habitat; and hunting and nutrition. The caribou herds and no interconnectedness and mutability of prey of wolves, the main predator in moose reduction. Moose reduction was these factors underscore the difficulty the area. An increase in moose meant initiated in 2003, but to understand in trying to understand, disentangle, more food for wolves. So even though population trends and dynamics of and reduce or eliminate them to save a caribou declined, the influx of moose these three species, the study’s authors species from extinction. helped sustain the wolf population. collected, evaluated and compared data The simple answer is not always so Wolves began to consume moose while on caribou, moose and wolf numbers simple. n continuing to feed on, and thus limit, before and after the moose reduction the caribou population. The moose- began, from 1992 to 2014. Additional Reading: caribou-wolf relationship suggests a The study revealed that the moose case of apparent competition. population in the treatment area fell by Barber-Meyer, S. and L.D. Mech. 70 percent, while there was no decline “White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Serrouya and his co-authors iden- virginianus) Subsidize Grey Wolves tified three possible ways to help the of moose in the reference area. Wolves (Canis lupus) During a Moose (Alces caribou recover: in the treatment area also declined due americanus) Decline: A Case of 1. Reduce or eliminate logging in mainly to dispersal, but also to starvation Apparent Competition?” The Canadian the caribou range, which would in turn and a low pup-survival rate. The caribou Field Naturalist 130 (4) (2016): 308-14. reduce the food supply for the invasive herds continued to decline in the refer- moose. To reverse the adverse effects of ence area while the largest herd in the Mech, L.D. The Wolf: The Ecology and deforestation, however, takes time, which treatment area has remained stable for Behavior of an Endangered Species. the caribou in this region do not have. 14 years. Still, the authors point out, the Garden City, NY: Natural History Press, 1970. 2. Reduce the number of wolves, stabilization of a caribou herd, although which has been useful in other regions encouraging, does not signal recovery. Serrouya, R., B.N. McLellan, where caribou herds are at risk of Instead, they warn that although limit- H. van Oort, et al. “Experimental extirpation. However, for this to be ing or reducing the number of moose moose reduction lowers wolf density successful, it needs to be an ongoing helped stop the caribou decline, growth and stops decline of endangered process because wolf numbers can and recovery of the caribou most likely caribou.” PeerJ 5:e3736; DOI quickly recover. Further, the removal will require both habitat protection and 10.7717/peerj.3736 2017. of wolves has become controversial. a direct reduction of wolves by hunt- Debra Mitts-Smith is a School of 3. The option taken by the Canadian ing, trapping or other control measures. Information Sciences faculty member at government: manage the moose popu- So are wolves responsible for the the University of Illinois. Her research lation. Underlying this option is the decline and possible extinction of the and teaching focus on visual culture, concept of apparent competition “which moose in northeastern Minnesota and children’s literature, history of the book, can occur when a novel prey species the caribou in British Columbia? On the and storytelling. Her book, Picturing the colonizes a new area, stimulating an surface, these two studies suggest that Wolf in Children’s Literature, was increase in the abundance of one or wolf populations, instead of decreas- published by Routledge in 2010.

10 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org rom somewhere in the dark recesses of the den came nearly Finaudible squeaks and whimpers. Carolin Humpal, a wildlife research biol- ogist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, had already peeked inside. She knew what she would find Researchers Visit Wolf once she slithered head-first down the entry hole and into the den. A pile of wolf pups. Maybe two weeks Dens to Learn about old. Five of them. Humpal and a team of other wild- life biologists had come to examine Pup Survival and Wolf the pups and place a trail camera out- side their den. The research is part of a state and tribal effort to better under- Population Dynamics stand the dynamics of Minnesota’s wolf population. This article was originally published in the Duluth News Tribune in “It’s a component of our broader April 2016. Data on Minnesota wolf population has been updated. wolf monitoring,” said the DNR’s John Erb, a wolf research biologist based at The author, Sam Cook, has written about outdoors topics in northern Grand Rapids. “The pup part of it is Minnesota for more than 35 years. kind of a pilot project. We’re trying to get some experience with locating dens, and we’re looking at options for monitoring dens and counting pups.” The work eventually will help wolf researchers monitor pup survival and learn more about what factors influ- ence that survival, Erb said. Minnesota’s wolf population was estimated at about 2,856 in 2017, according to the DNR. This den was just west of Cloquet on land owned by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The band’s Resource Management Division is working with the DNR on wolf research. Sam Cook

International Wolf Spring 2018 11 Along with Humpal on this mission to The pups’ mother is part of a pack she picked them up one at a time and find wolf pups on a mid-April after- estimated at five wolves in all, Schrage handed them out to Sampson. noon were DNR wolf research biologist said. The den site is in an area near He checked their physical condi- Barry Sampson; Mike Schrage, wildlife homes, small farms and paved roads. tion and determined whether they were biologist for the Fond du Lac Band; Yet the wolves go mostly unnoticed. males or females. and Terry Perrault, a technician for the “They’ve probably been there for Perrault eased the pups into soft flan- Band’s Resource Management Division. years,” Schrage said, “and yet mostly nel bags. He weighed them quickly — they stay out of sight and conflict about 3½ pounds each. Schrage recorded Tough to find with people.” the pups’ weights and genders — four Just finding the den was a challenge. male, one female. One by one, the pups It had taken five researchers, walking Entering the den went back to Sampson and then to the abreast at intervals through the woods, Now it was time to go to work. waiting hand of Humpal, who still was nearly an hour to locate the den. Working Humpal scooched down the entry mostly inside the den. Each pup was from mapped GPS-tracking movements hole until only her lower legs and boots back in the den within less than a minute. of a radio-collared adult wolf in this remained outside. Later, she described “Nice belly,” Sampson said, inspecting pack—though not the pups’ mother— the five pups she saw. the plump tummy of one pup before it Schrage had led us to this patch of “They were all piled together,” she went back to Humpal. woods. We were looking for a hole in said. “It was still fairly chilly, so they the ground with freshly excavated dirt have to be huddled up together to share all around. body heat.” “Found it!” Sampson called out finally. The pups’ eyes were open, indicating He and Humpal assumed the female they probably were a couple of weeks wolf that had given birth to these pups old, Sampson said. Although they moved was somewhere not far away, observ- away from Humpal a bit, she said the ing our visit and waiting for us to leave. plump little furballs didn’t struggle as

After work at the wolf den is completed, Department of Natural Resources wildlife research biologist Barry Sampson smooths dirt

Sam Cook near the mouth of the den to help remove human scent.

12 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org The biologists performed their tasks Left: Minnesota Department of quickly and in hushed voices. These Natural Resources wildlife research intrusions at dens are kept to a mini- biologists Carolin Humpal (left) and mum, Sampson explained, to disturb Barry Sampson (right) confer with Mike Schrage, wildlife biologist at the the wolves as little as possible. All of us Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior wore rain gear to minimize our scent, Chippewa, over a map showing the likely and we had been sprayed with a scent- location of a wolf den west of Cloquet. masking compound. Everyone wore Below: Terry Perrault, a resource latex gloves. management technician with the Fond In less than 15 minutes, with all work du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, completed and a trail camera hung on a holds a wolf pup about 2 weeks old that nearby tree, the biologists left the site. had been temporarily removed from its den by wildlife biologists.

Sampson had smoothed the dirt at the Sam Cook edge of the den. The pups were all in a heap again. Their mother was never seen. The value of research So far, researchers have visited and inspected pups at a dozen to 15 dens in the past three or four years, the DNR’s Erb said. Pup counts and pup survival are not a necessary component of the DNR’s wolf population estimates, he said. But tracking birth and death rates, as DNR researchers do for some other species, could help the agency develop better population models, he said. In addition, better understanding of wolf pup survival could help research- ers relate that information to other wolf population factors such as prey density or the presence of parvovirus, Erb said. Following our visit to the den site, it was difficult to know what effect the intrusion would have on the pups’ mother, the DNR’s Sampson said. “There’s no doubt she’s going to know we’ve been here,” Sampson said. “The question is whether it’s enough to make Schrage,Mike wildlife biologist for the Fond Du Lac Band her move them.” so-called rendezvous site. The pups are “Any time you visit the den of an ani- more mobile then, he said, but are not mal, at some level there’s an effect,” Erb yet hunting with the pack. In fall, when said. “Our early experiences combined the pups are large enough, the rendez- with results from pup studies in Ontario vous site becomes less important, and and Idaho suggest that some will move the young wolves begin traveling more pups to a new den after a visit.” with their parents. But there’s no information yet, he According to the Minnesota DNR, dur- said, that it has any important effect on ing mid-winter 2016-2017, Minnesota pup survival, even in studies that have hosted 508 packs, with an average pack deployed radio-collars on pups or sur- size of 4.8, and an estimated 2,856 gically implanted radio-transmitters. wolves. Pack size typically doubles once And often, wolves change den sites pups are born in the spring. But not all even without human intrusion, he added. of them survive through the next year. A wolf pack and its pups typically Along with some mortality among adult remain associated with a den site through wolves, that typically brings wolf num- early to mid-summer, Erb said. Later bers back down to near the previous in summer, the pack often moves to a mid-winter’s level, researchers say. n

International Wolf Spring 2018 13 Tracking the Pack

pack at the height of the winter hormonal Seasonal Tests, Magnified by season was not a decision made lightly. Medical Concerns Why not just do the surgery and retire Aidan early? Not an option. While Aidan’s physical presence may have been by Lori Schmidt weakened by his medical issues, his social presence in the pack was strong. ince the International Wolf Center’s November to remove what would be his So, rather than take Aidan out to do the wolf management program began second mast-cell tumor in six months. surgery, the staff moved the pack to the Sin 1989, wolf care staff members Aidan had become the Exhibit Pack’s retirement area, and Aidan’s recovery have had many years to study the intri- dominant male in February 2011 after took place within the Wolf Care Center cate details and dynamics within a wolf former pack leader Shadow was retired and adjoining exhibit space, out of view pack. From the development of the neo- in July 2010. Winter is the time for sea- of the rest of the pack. nate wolf pup to the aging of a retired sonal hormones that typically heighten Six hours elapsed before staff let the pack member, understanding individual dominance behavior in our wolf pack. pack members return—first Axel and wolf behavior and interpreting the influ- The bad timing of Aidan’s medical con- Grayson as juveniles, and two hours ence on the pack is critical. Wolf care dition was exacerbated by the fact that later Boltz and Denali, the higher-ranking team members are on site 365 days a Axel and Grayson, new pups in 2016, wolves, were reunited. By then, Aidan year, charged with the task of employ- were reaching maturity and had begun had fully regained his faculties after sur- ing the best management practices to testing social limits as a form of rank- gery and was waiting, with a dominant ensure the physical and social needs of order dominance. Even in the calmer posture and a possessive greeting, over the ambassador wolves are met. summer season, removing the pack the food resources used as a distraction. The winter of 2017-2018 height- leader—if only for a brief period for As far as the pack knew, Aidan had ened the staff’s observational skills when medical care—can cause the other pack not been removed from the pack; the Aidan, the Exhibit Pack’s dominant members to test for status when they are pack had been removed from Aidan. male, was scheduled for surgery in early reunited. So taking a leader out of the Rather than testing Aidan upon reunit- ing, the pack merely resumed its regular social order—and the wolf care staff heaved Aidan is nearing 10 years of age— a great, collective sigh about the age at of relief. which a change in pack Veterinary plans for leadership typically wolves must include occurs. behavioral aspects as well as medical con- siderations. To see the video of Aidan’s surgi- cal recovery, check out the archived video on the Center’s YouTube channel – November 17, 2017. n

Aidan maintains a leadership role despite his age, and it was important that his surgery didn’t affect his status in the pack. Wolves clockwise: Axel, Aidan and Grayson Kelly Godfrey

14 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER Member Profile

“Mind-full” of Wolves by Madison McHugh

onic screwdrivers, light sabers and a sodes of his newer podcast, life-size replica of R2D2 are enough Present Moment: Mindfulness Sto pique any self-proclaimed nerd’s Practice and Science. interests, but Ted Meissner isn’t your Ted received his bach- average “fanboy.” Internet technology elor’s degree in biology seemed like a natural professional pursuit at Lake Forest College in for Ted after he realized that he didn’t Illinois. It was there that want to continue his education in biol- his journey with wolves ogy. But after working in the IT world began. While he was study- for many years, Ted decided it was time ing wolves for a research to make another change and start living paper, and the International a life that reflects his values. Wolf Center was under con- Nowadays, when he is not daydream- struction in Ely, Ted had ing about wolves or far-off worlds, Ted the opportunity to hear stays busy teaching at the University of Dr. L. David Mech speak Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness. in Illinois, and he shared his He also hosts two very successful pod- excitement with his fam- casts. The Secular Buddhist boasts more ily—where, he admits, he’d than 1.5 million downloads—and he have to compete with his has completed more than 100 epi- brothers for the title of “big- Melissa Lee gest wolf lover.” An education-focused, science-based the wolves and his own “pack.” When approach to learning and teaching about Boba (a Chihuahua) beats up on Pogo (a wolves is something that Ted appreciates Brittany Spaniel cross) Ted is reminded about the Center. His only complaint that size does not always correlate to is that the Center is too far away from dominance. his forested home in Massachusetts. One of Ted’s fondest wolf-related Although there are no wolves where Ted memories is from a stay at a cabin in lives, he and his wife enjoy watching Wisconsin with his brother. They had moose, coyotes and bears. (The bears are heard that a wolf pack frequented the more popular when they aren’t destroy- area, so Ted gave a wolf call. Both were ing the family’s bird feeders). surprised when they received a response. Ted has purchased the Center’s adop- Ted also attributes many fond memo- tion kits for Axel, Grayson and Grizzer. ries to the interpretive center in Ely. He loves watching the wolf cams online He appreciates the fact that there are at wolf.org to check up on the ambas- so many different ways to connect with sador wolves’ development and activity. the Center online and in person. After watching the webinars and videos Thank you, Ted, for your member- offered by the Center, Ted noticed a lot ship support of the educational mission of similarities between the behaviors of at the International Wolf Center! n Kelly Godfrey

International Wolf Spring 2018 15 INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER Quarterly Donations

Gifts between September 1 - November 30, 2017

Major Donors Connie Di Bratto Bonnie Harnit In honor of Kevin Brown In honor of International In honor of Robert Wang Melanie Donaghy Jennifer Hart Doug and Lorene Brown Wolf Center Staff Agata Wang $5,000+ Rick Duncan Wesley Haut Joyce Wells In honor of Chinook In honor of Wolf ‘06 Nancy Gibson and Alan and Sharon Fearey Ivancich Inc. and Sheba In honor of Leonard and Ron Sternal Kathleen Neely Yvonne and Vic Gagliano Kristine and Mat Jobe Babs Beaulieu Patricia Kmak Google Inc. Valerie Gates Kyle Kinkade Ruth Ann Kmak In honor of Connie and Nick LaFond Jean-Jacques Gilet Greg Korelich In honor of Pam Churn Mrs. Wolf Upington In honor of Kodiak Estate of John H. Tyler Carol Green and Maria and John Kurtz Lorianne and David Churn Jayne Kalk and Tasha John Virr Charles Nigro Celine and J. Byron Lau In honor of Denali Jean Mansen and In honor of Lazaro Yordis Toni Guarino $1,000-$4999 Dave Messinger Melinda Gleaton Stephan Silen Lenuan Espinosa Ann Beyer Heather Hoff Debra Mitts-Smith and In honor of Dory the Ferret In honor of Kim Loomis Bruce Bryant Michael Hokkanen Marschall Smith Memorials Anonymous Deloris O’Keefe Lammot and Deborah Cornelia N. Hutt Morrow-Pippin Family Fund of The Minneapolis In memory of Yo Anderson Copeland Cristi Klingman In honor of the Ely In honor of Luna Foundation Anonymous Brian and Ellen Dietz James and Julie Lundsted Ambassador Wolves Arlita Ramey Marcia and Jeff Mummau Louise Fleming Linda McGurn Anonymous Barbara Sorensen In memory of Baby A Miller Karen and Gilbert Munoz Janice Geddes Carol and Robert Mucha Chris and Paul Batiste Stephanie Voigt Andi Nelsen In honor of Michiel Gerritsen Barbara Muller Lisa Ockenfels In honor of Cameron Feaster Theodore Marchant In memory of Paul Beyer Joe Greenhalgh Perkins Foundation Carolyn Owen Jennifer Burman Allison Marchant Ann Beyer Charles and Sharon Heck Dana Pond Roger and Hollie Parsons John and Pam Hughes David and Jill Rogers In honor of Susan Gabriel In honor of Evey Morrill In memory of Matsi Blackburn Kathleen Pettingill Judy Hunter SAD Foundation Cindi Million Laurie Morrill Anonymous and Al Dawson Murray and Jeanie Kilgour Loretta Schaeffer Maeva Picard In honor of In honor of Brad Peterson In memory of Stephen Blechar Deb and John Lewis Lori Schmidt McKenna Galpin Lin Pinskey Clarice Jorenby Heidi Blechar Donna Mack Iwanski and Theresia Smith Pamela Meredith Edward Rathke Brad Iwanski Karen Tsuchiya In honor of River Pilkington In memory of Maya Colburn Lauren Rosolino In honor of Grayson, Lisa Nivens U.S. Bancorp Vernon Pilkington Mary Colburn David Schroeder Luna and Boltz Onyx Path Publishing Linda Wark Rob Schultz and Tricia and Rich D’antoni In honor of Grandma Radke, In memory of Frank Coorsen Jerry Sanders Kim Wheeler Andrew Engelhart who knew how much I Janet Fedak Pierre Schlemel Virginia Wolfe In honor of Deb Hagenbuck loved wolves and brought Cheryl Smith Martha Schoonover Bill Hagenbuck me to see my first one In memory of $250-$499 The Wonderful Company Ted and Barbara Spaulding Mike Sanders Cunksi Wolfsong Donna Arbaugh John Todd In honor of Martha Handler Michael Swanson LuAnn and James Ferguson Laura Ashton UnitedHealth Group The Irwin and Daryl Simon In honor of Jerry Sanders The Irwin and Daryl Simon Blue Cross and Blue Shield Donnette and Foundation of the Richard and Joany In memory of Christina Dudli Foundation of the of Minnesota Greg Wheelock Bank of America Hinchcliffe Eric Greenleaf Bank of America Kathy and David Boutros James and Gloria Wiener Charitable Gift Fund Charitable Gift Fund In honor of Sasha In memory of Bella Duran Saundra Campbell Fred Yost Tracy A. Weeks Fund of the In honor of Krista Harrington Laurie Sackette Dani Duran Saint Paul Foundation Joseph Carlson Kenny Sommer In honor of Lori Schmidt Nancy Jo Tubbs Brenda Cashman Honorariums In memory of In honor of Justin Hendrick Lynn and Ken Kaveney Aaron Gagliano Raymond Weigel Neil Thomas Chapman In honor of Aidan Avery Hendrick Yvonne and Vic Gagliano Audrey Wolf Lorianne and David Churn Melinda Gleaton In honor of the great work Kathy and Brian Yelton Michael Crnobrna and In honor of Sharon Howard that Rob Schultz is doing In memory of Danna Green Marilyn Baeker In honor of all International Russell Howard Andrew Engelhart Lynn Price $500-$999 Elton and Marian Wolf Center personnel Anonymous Cunningham who teach and care In honor of Judy Hunter In honor of In memory of Mila Gudding Heidi Blechar Eduweb Inc. for our wolves Ellyn and Laura Bartges Shadow and Murphy Sharon Dormeyer Kaitlin Bonner William and Violetta Elsey Chris Coletta Risa Brandon Kathleen and Todd Robinson In memory of Thor Hartney Deborah Brown Barbara Fogarty In honor of all wolves of In honor of the International Patricia Hartney and and Mark Stewart Angela and Jason our planet and wolves’ Wolf Center Wolves In honor of Robert Sole Dave Hanck Lori Buswell Freedman supporters and Wolf Care Staff Winston Haythe Cindy Carvelli-Yu and Michael Freedman Lisa Nivens Susan Myers In memory of In honor of Dylan Trost Edith Herrera de Gerritsen Song Yu Jim Freeman In honor of Abbie Boutros In honor of International Jaquelyn Lambert Michiel Gerritsen Patricia Clarke Mark Gittler Kathy and David Boutros Wolf Center Wolf Care Staff Rob Schultz and Chris Coletta Johanna Goering In honor of Bodie Turman Dana Pond Andrew Engelhart Henry Coyle Cynthia Gray Chris Turman

We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our donor list each quarter. If we have omitted your name in error, please accept our apologies and contact David Kline at (763) 560-7374, ext. 230. 16 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org In memory of In memory of Virginia Dennis Cole Wanda Kothlow Michael and Karen Tears Apple Inc. on behalf of: Robert Vernon Hill Rabaut, a wonderful wife, Chris Coletta Carol Lent Leslye Teuber and Haley Buchanan Paula Hill mother, grandmother, great Charles and Hui Chuan Li David Albert grandmother and life time Best Buy Company Inc. Bernadette Cook Gail Lutsch Paul Trevizo In memory of Jeanne Ice supporter of the wolves on behalf of: Michael Crnobrna and Laurie Morrill Julie and Joseph Vierling Patrice Muse Susan Rabaut Andrew Kluis Marilyn Baeker Carol and Robert Mucha Debbie Wankel In memory of Jan Johnson In memory of Tricia and Rich D’antoni Amber Murphy Linda Wark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota on behalf of: Dick and Deb Thiel Marilyn Reinhard Duncan Davidson Louise Murphy Kim Wheeler Patricia Fossum DiAnne Davis Steffanie Wiggins Heather Hoff In memory of Kiwi and Roo Lavonne Newman Barb and David Kearn Anne Deleage and Peter Jezyk Maeva Picard General Electric Jessica Dietrich In memory of Riley Lisa Nivens In-Kind on behalf of: In memory of Bianca DiFranco Burt and Doris Grimes Teri Nolin Donations Peggy and Roger Feirstine Randy Kochanowski Marie Doering Carolyn Owen Anonymous JPMorgan Chase Jeannie Finlay-Kochanowski In memory of Martin Rodich Todd Duyvejonck Lavonne Painter Connie Di Bratto on behalf of: Kevin Rozman Elaine and Philip Eder Phyllis and Paul Peterson In memory of John Kurtz John Gleaton Cristi Klingman Lindi Engelbrecht Mary Kurtz In memory of Gerald Ross Tynan Peterson Melinda Gleaton John Ewing Microsoft on behalf of: Concetta Ross Maeva Picard Google Inc. In memory of Cricket Cameron Feaster Anonymous Dana Pond Heather Hoff Kathy Scott In memory of Wylie Rozas Jeannie Finlay-Kochanowski Raul Garcia Laurinda Porter Lori Schmidt Jennifer Hart Lina Garcia In memory of Leta, our very Denise Pride Susan Todd The Wonderful Company special hybrid wolf Raul Garcia In memory of Shadow Adie Sarah Prusha Kim Wheeler of behalf of: Robin Whittington Robert and Kathleen Adie Marceline Gearry Cathy Purchis Jean-Jacques Gilet Neal and Jessica Jose Quinones In memory of In memory of Estate Thrivent Financial for Gilbert-Redman Jim and Mercedes Roberson Sir Lionel Lewis Shadow and Malik Estate of John H. Tyler Lutherans on behalf of: Carol Green and Camille Witos Anne Robertson Connie Di Bratto Charles Nigro Stock Diane Beckmann Henry and Carol Rompage In memory of William Halstead Lammot and In memory of Shadow Amanda Rose UnitedHealth Group Herbert Mahone Deborah Copeland Joy Zelmanovich Krista and John Harrington on behalf of: Lauren Rosolino Rick Duncan Gerald Mahone Jennifer Hart Lorianne Churn In memory of Bette Jean Rua Connie and Nick LaFond Dan Hayes Marie Doering In memory of Fred Main Thunder and Lightining Robin and Adam Sampson Jean West Charles and Sharon Heck Tasia Hooper Charles Dunning Bob Duerr Jerry Sanders Sue Henderson Kay Schloff Matching Gifts U.S. Bancorp on behalf of: In memory of In memory of Tom Thurston Debbie Hinchcliffe Chipper Malark Lori Schmidt Sande Bayer Marlene Thurston Karen Hodsdon Ameriprise Financial Harriet Risher Linda Shadle Cindy Carvelli-Yu Heather Hoff on behalf of: In memory of Catherine Shepard Debbie Wankel In memory of Joseph Marion Tasia Hooper Toni Domino Stephen Wallack Robin Sines (Mike Rolland) Lilia Horsley Erik Johnson Katherine and Brad Connor Janet Sinusas Marj Rolland Sharon Howard Melissa Kotek Jeryn Konezny Sharon Stein Rachel Rolland John and Pam Hughes Brian Ogren Perkins Foundation Misi Stine Paul Trevizo In memory of Liza Max Judy Hunter In memory of Tracy Weeks Ginny Jackson Erik Johnson Anonymous Lynn and Ken Kaveney In memory of Murray and Jeanie Kilgour Kylene McVicar Sustaining Cristi Klingman Anonymous (2) Members Melissa and In memory of Mikkikanoa and Monthly Christopher Kotek Pono da Golden Boy Donors Louise Fleming Anonymous In memory of Minnie, Puff, Angie and Marilyn Bailey Pepper, Casey, Ginger, Josh Becker Darwin and Remy Jaki Becker Lisa Nivens Rebecca Becker Jane Bloom

In memory of Don Neary Matthew Scott Ida Neary Doris and Alan Bohme Kathy and David Boutros In memory of Tucker Parker Diane Bradley Janice Parker Dorothea and Peter Bruno In memory of Petey Michael Byrnes Linda Wark Mary Beth Campbell MaryAnn Canning In memory of Quincy Susan Carver William Halstead Lorianne and David Churn Thank You! Axel (left) and Aidan (right) International Wolf Spring 2018 17 How Do Wolves Keep Warm?

By Laura MacDonald and Morgan Roppe

uring winter, humans put on coats, hats, mittens Dand boots to go outdoors. Do wolves wear hats? No! But they have adapta- tions that help them stay warm outside in the snow. Adaptations are physical traits that have evolved to keep an animal alive. Wolves have very thick fur that keeps them warm all winter. The wolf’s fur, or pelage, has two layers. The guard hairs grow up to four inches long, and protect the wolves from rain, wind and snow. The Word Find undercoat, beneath the guard hairs, grows thick Use the Word Bank below to find as and soft in the fall to trap air and insulate the wolf many words as possible in the Word Find puzzle. Words can run horizon- from cold weather. These layers are tally, vertically or diagonally. so warm that wolves can tolerate temperatures far below zero. Snow S D P X W D W N I N doesn’t even melt when it falls on Guard Hairs wolves’ fur. In spring, the wooly P R E E O M I O C D inner layer is shed to keep the Undercoat W E I H N A N I X P wolf cool during the summer. It Pelage comes out in clumps and often C Q L A S F T T H J Shed gets stuck on branches or bushes H H H A H V E A P F as wolves brush against them. Adaptation Wolves also use behaviors to G G W D G D R T H Q Snow keep warm. They curl up by them- E C K T Q E R P N W Winter selves or near other wolves to keep U N D E R C O A T J warm. You can see examples in the Layers pictures of Boltz, Axel and Denali. S R E Y A L F D U Q Y A Q O D A H A Y G

18 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org Hunting Prey olves hunt many different kinds of prey such as Wungulates, rodents and rabbits. Ungulates are large animals with hooves, such as deer and moose. Working together in a pack, wolves can kill a deer or even a big moose, even though these animals are much larger than they are. The smaller prey, such as beavers and rabbits, are easier for one wolf to hunt by itself, but the wolves need more of these prey animals to feed the pack. Wolves in Minnesota eat mostly white-tailed deer. Deer eat plants, which makes them herbivores. Wolves eat meat, so they are carnivores. A wolf has a great sense of smell, and can smell its prey from more than one mile away! Once they find the prey, wolves use their strong teeth to pull their prey to the ground. Deer can defend themselves from the wolves—they can kick with their hooves, and the males have antlers on their heads that can hurt or kill a wolf. In the winter, deer have a more difficult time avoiding wolves. Their thin legs and sharp hooves sink down in the snow, making it harder to run. Wolves, however, have an easier time hunting in the winter. They have very big feet, which act like snowshoes and help the wolves walk and run on the snow. A pack of wolves walks in a single-file line so the snow packs down, and wolves in the back don’t use up as much energy walking through soft, fluffy snow. n Morgan Roppe Morgan Antlers

Large Paws

Hooves

Wolves Herbivore

Match the Strong Teeth Characteristics Deer Draw a line Great Sense of Smell connecting the animal to its characteristics. Carnivore

Pack

Ungulate

International Wolf Spring 2018 19 Habituation, Recolonization, Hybridization and Inbreeding: Topics of Study

by Tracy O’Connell

ISRAEL A spate of wolf attacks on humans in 2017 has drawn considerable media attention. Ten attacks last summer, in a narrow stretch of the Judean Desert between popular tourist locales along the shore of the Dead Sea, have resulted in warnings to campers, Above: Two wolves in a especially those with young children. pack of at least four are Children who were attacked were res- photographed in a nature reserve near Rome. cued by adults with only minor wounds but underwent precautionary treatments Left: Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, are such as injections against possible rabies. MCAD Library depicted in a wolf statue. Rangers destroyed one offending wolf and translocated another. Wolves num- ITALY ber between 100 and 150 in Israel; about wolves, the first in 46 years, but 200,000 20 are believed to be living in the area For the first time in more than people signed a petition against it, and where attacks occurred. a century, wolves are living the plan was dropped. Authorities identify habituation as the near Rome, where legend says the found- Tracing the incursion of wolves across cause of the problem, citing instances ers of that historic city, twin brothers Europe in recent years, the Monitor cites of hikers and campers who make food Romulus and Remus, were foundlings “rewilding” as a cause, noting, “As farm- available to wild scavengers, and have suckled by a wolf. The modern-day pack ers across the continent abandoned eco- little awareness of how to be safe around of two adults and at least two grown nomically unproductive small farms and wild animals. Rangers are posting warn- pups has been photographed by trap sought easier lives in towns, large tracts ing signs for people, and using paintball cameras in a nature reserve. of countryside have reverted to wood- and pellet guns, among other non-lethal An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 wolves land, creating new habitat for large ani- techniques, to scare the wolves from live in Italy, mostly in the Apennine mals. Italy, for instance, now has twice camping areas. Mountain range and the Alps, the Christian Science Monitor reports, not- as much forest and woodland as it did ing, “Every few months an Italian land- at the end of World War II; 35 percent owner, angry at having lost livestock to of the country is covered in trees.” lupine jaws, will shoot a wolf and dump The Monitor describes Rewilding its corpse by the roadside—sometimes Europe, a conservation movement mutilated or decapitated—in protest founded in 2011 that works through- against government policy.” The Monitor out the continent to restore a million adds that last year Italian regional gov- hectares (nearly 2.5 million acres) to ernments approved a limited cull of wilderness by 2022. The organization

20 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org SCANDINAVIA Inbred wolves is a topic of concern in Norway and Sweden, which share a wolf popula- tion along a long border. It has long been known that Scandinavian wolves are descended from just a few animals that first populated the region more than 30 years ago. Researchers have now studied the genome of 100 wolves from this region and determined the genetic consequences of intense inbreeding in a threatened species. Their work was reported last fall in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. The DNA samples they used came both from wolves that lived a few decades ago and more recent denizens. One came from the female considered the ancestral mother of the entire wolf population of these two Nordic nations. Researchers developed “family trees” for each wolf to Arch. Lipu determine which were related to which, but found that was only part of the pic- ture, because the two copies of a chro- mosome in an individual—one from the would like to see wild horses of the type RUSSIA father and one from the mother—can seen in prehistoric cave drawings in An archaeology website, www. both originate from the same ancestor. France and Spain, as well as European ancient-origins.net, reports “Inbreeding has been so extensive bison and ibex reintroduced to areas that remains of dogs and wolves found that some individuals have entire chro- they once inhabited. Rewilding Europe at the Srubnaya-culture settlement of mosomes that completely lack genetic maintains that the presence of big mam- Krasnosamarskoe in the Russian steppes, variation,” said Hans Ellegren, profes- mals would encourage eco-tourism and dating back 4,000 years, indicate that sor at the Evolutionary Biology Center help people in parts of Europe that suf- participants in a ritual ate the sacri- at Sweden’s Uppsala University. “In such fer from high unemployment. ficed canids. cases identical chromosome copies have Interestingly, a similar find- “Researchers suggest that the peculiar been inherited from both parents.” ing appeared last September in The finds could possibly provide the first Since wolves began to repopulate the Economist, a weekly international news archaeological evidence of war bands region in the early 1980s, only four to magazine, which reported that France made up of male teenagers as they are five wolves have dispersed to the area has experienced a return of forest cover described in ancient texts,” the report and successfully reproduced—and only to a third of its rural area formerly farmed states, adding that such initiation cere- since 1991. These wolves came from or mined, and similarly suggested tour- monies “correlate with myths mentioned Finnish and Russian populations to the ism prompted by native fauna might be in texts from as early as 2,000 years ago east, a dangerous journey that takes them an antidote to a sluggish economy. by speakers of Indo-European languages through the reindeer herding country Experts say the medium-sized across Eurasia.” of the Sami people, who are permit- Roman wolves pose virtually no threat Not everyone agrees with the theory; ted to shoot wolves. Researchers were to humans, nor are they a menace to live- opponents counter, “Indo-European surprised that even some “immigrant” stock—contrary to wolves throughout mythology suggests that Late Bronze Age wolves repopulated by game managers the rest of Italy. Analysis of their excre- folks regarded dogs as having magical from elsewhere in Scandinavia were ment has shown that their diet is made properties and perhaps ate them in rituals partly inbred. up exclusively of wild boars that roam of some kind. But no other archaeological Inbreeding does not seem to have the countryside around the capital in sites have yielded evidence for teenage hurt the Scandinavian population so far, ever-increasing numbers. male war bands or canine-consuming but some effects have been noted, such initiation rites.” as severely inbred parents having fewer

International Wolf Spring 2018 21 22 Spring 2018 efforts are beingmade,and thepresence note; however, nofocusedconservation biodiversity ofthe region, researchers the distinct isimportantinconserving legal protection. Keepingthis lineage their numbers are declining despite wolves are considered endangered, and ofNatureConservation (IUCN).Arabian Unionfor the part oftheInternational issued bytheCanidSpecialistGroup, species. That’s the finding in a report lipes pal l. distinct from boththeIndian(C. lupus subspecies ofthegraywolf(C. carnivore on the Arabian Peninsula, a wolves ening the genetic distinction of Arabian new bloodlines. pool, necessitatingtheintroduction of in geneticdiseasesandaweakergene genetic variabilitywilleventuallyresult scats. Researchers believethelackof family groups inwinterandexamining bytracking pups, asituationobserved C. l. lupus l. ) andEuropean (C. Wikimedia Commons / Ahmad Qarmish12 The geneticdistinctionofArabianwolvesmaybethreatened,areportsuggests. (Canis lupus arabs) lupus (Canis domestic dogsmaybethreat Hybridization withferalor SAUDI ARABIA

, thelargest ) sub- ), ), - - actions. tion actions. to determineappropriate conserva gram ofecologicalresearch is required and theextentofhybridization, apro- Arabian wolf distribution, abundance However, giventhe lack ofdataon spaying programs forknownhybrids. “wolf” ( canid species such as the Ethiopian ing. Managementplansforotherunique unwanted behaviorsuchasstockraid- hybrids todesertlife,andlessprone to behaviors makeitbetteradaptedthan ing, sincetheArabianwolf’s dietand of hybridization maybe far reach wolf-dog hybrid. ing between a female wolf and a dog, or seems toprovide evidenceofinterbreed a canidpairingincentralSaudiArabia of hybridization,andvideofootage wolves have been thought to be aresult region in Oman suggests pale, “dog-like” that anecdotalevidencefrom theDhofar Society ofLondonandhisteamreport thoroughly studiedinthispopulation. or absenceofhybridizationhasnotbeen Chris Barichievy of the Zoological Researchers notethe consequences C. simensis C. ) involve castration and ) involve castration and - - - Conservation ofNature (IUCN). Conservation Group Union forthe ofthe International was publishedbytheCanid Specialist researchers ledbyRinzinPhunjokLama, of asmuch50years.Thefinding,by totheregionreturned afteranabsence anecdotal reports indicatedwolveshad camera sightingsforthefirsttimesince District ofNepalwasverifiedbytrap tems, creating dryness) of the Annapurna tems, creating of the Annapurna dryness) tains blocktheadvanceofweathersys “rain shadow”(anarea where themoun The NyesyangValley islocatedinthe Nyesyag Valley inthe Manang of wolves The to thereturn NEPAL www .wolf.org - - Range, covering an area of approximately resulting in negative feelings and conflict 700 square km (270 square miles). That that is likely to intensify. To avoid the area is covered mostly by coniferous extirpation of the canids like those that and conifer-birch mixed forests and by resulted from livestock depredations in grasslands mixed with scrubs at higher the valley a half-century ago, research- elevations. The valley is rich in carni- ers are calling for education programs, vore diversity: snow leopard, red fox, livestock insurance plans and a detailed golden jackal, beech marten, mountain ecological study. n weasel and Pallas’s cat. Blue sheep and musk deer are the main prey of the snow Tracy O’Connell is professor emeritus at leopard. Small prey species include the the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in large-eared pika and Royle’s pika. marketing communications, and serves on In spite of the prevalence of prey, the Center’s magazine and communica- interviews with herdsmen found 11 tions committees. yaks and three goats had been killed A Himalayan wolf pup (Canis by wolves in the prior year and a half, lupus himalayensis) roaming the Transhimalayas of north-western Nepal. ©Geraldine Werhahn ©Geraldine

International Wolf Spring 2018 23 24 Spring 2018

Voyageurs National Park early springof2015. Above: PhotographofV028caught fromagamecamerain months Ispent“chasing”himaround the signstheyhaveleft. ing basedonplacestheyhavebeenand the animalshavebeendoingorthink- tounderstandwhat the woods,trying often resort totrackingwolvesaround practically impossible.Instead,Imust wolves oftenenoughtostudythemis est appear impenetrable, and observing Dense summervegetationmakesthefor I doitisusuallyforafleetingmoment. Minnesota. Irarely see them,andwhen O By Tom Gable TrackingSpent Him Wolf—and Elusive An Months the This is the story of one wolf and the ofonewolfandthe This isthestory National Park (VNP) in northern National Park(VNP)innorthern studiedwolvesinVoyageurs ver the past four summer

s, I have s, Ihave Right: Picture taken when V028 Right: PicturetakenwhenV028 was re-collared in May 2016. was re-collared in May2016. -

was wearingacollarandeartags.Here the railroad grade—andthennoticedit saw that we had captured a wolf along follow themthroughout thesummer. expeditiously aspossiblesowecould wolves andfitthemwithGPScollarsas outside thepark.We were tocatch trying road gradethatrunsalongtheriverjust had setafewdaysearlieronanoldrail studies wolvesinVNP, checkingtrapswe River withAustinHomkes,whoalso L silent tobereal.” (Thanks,Gordon where “thegreen, darkforest wastoo ightfoot!) When we climbed out of the boat, we When weclimbedoutoftheboat, On May16,2016, I wasontheMoose

- caught him.Themostobviouswasalarge had sustainedafewinjuriessincewefirst etc.). WhiledoingsoInoticedthathe lar, monitorvitalsigns,collectsamples, started toprocess him(changethecol- ment together, sedatedWolf V028,and ing, andwelostcontactwiththewolf. summer 2015thecollarstoppedwork sixhours.However,locations every in fitted withaGPScollarthat recorded the MooseRiverPack. was Wolf V028,thebreeding maleof the necessary data, we administered the data,weadministered the the necessary in and around VNP. After collecting all much older than the typical wolf living we estimatedV028tobe8yearsold— inahostileworld.Indeed, to survive rugged animalwhohadfigured outhow down. Itwasapparent thatV028wasa missing, broken orsubstantially worn these injuries,manyofV028’s teethwere this might have occurred. In addition to split thefleshopen.Ihadnoideahow tion, deep and partially healed that had wolf’s front legwasatwo-inchlacera by adeerormoose.Similarly, onthe wasfromsuch aninjury gettingkicked V028’s head.Icouldonlypresume that gash thathadscarred overonthetopof Austin andIquicklygotourequip- V028 wasfirstcaughtinfall2014and www.wolf.org - -

Tom Gable International Wolf run the same route among a handful the summer, V028wouldfrequently the wolfwasgoingandwhy. Throughout and movements, and understand where initsbehavior patterns able todiscern wolf livedandwhatitwasdoing. Iwas the illusionofunderstanding) howthis end, thatIunderstood(oratleasthad took meanentire daytocover. few hoursV028traveleddistancesthat Still, Iwasalwaysamazedthatinjusta scattered across thevastforests ofVNP. in ourbugshirts,visitingrandompoints as thoughwespentthesummerlocked twice—per week.Becauseofthis,itfelt as V028killedprey onlyonce—maybe found nothingatclustersbutbedsites, stoic individual.Mostsummerdayswe and humiditytochallengethemost with a combination of insects, heat, rain Minnesotacanbequiteunpleasant, ern ters of locations. The summers in north- five to 10 miles just to reach a few clus access, often requiring ustobushwhack isremote andhardRiver Packterritory to tally challenging.MuchoftheMoose experience wasalsophysicallyandmen went, wewentalso.Thisexhilarating day-in and day-out. Wherever V028 and I had a singular goal: to follow V028 was huntingandkillingprey. stand where, when and how often V028 V028 inthesummer, andthusunder this sametechniquetolocatekillsfrom Austin andIwere optimisticwe could use collared wolvestolocatewolf-killedprey. searching clustersofGPSlocationsfrom researchers canstudywolfpredation by prey inashortperiod. During thewinter, wolves can almost wholly consume small of predation canbechallengingbecause during thesummer, andfindingevidence (e.g. beavers,white-taileddeerfawns) Further, wolvesmainlyhuntsmall prey is nearlyimpossibleindensevegetation. wolveshuntingprey because observing tion inMinnesotaispoorlyunderstood hunting habits.Summerwolfpreda in thehopeofunderstandingwolf’s that recorded 20minutes locationsevery to patrolling wilderness. thenorthern hour, thewolfwasonhisfeetandback drugs towakeV028up,andwithinan Despite all the challenges, I felt, in the Despite allthechallenges,Ifelt,in From Maythrough November, Austin We had fitted V028 with a GPS collar

- - - - in hand, I headed to the far side of the in hand, I headed to the far side of the pack mates)hadburiedinmud. Collar to collectthecollar, whichV028(orhis pond. Ihikedouttothepond onNov. 10 grammed ontheedgeofanactive beaver 2016, V028’s collar dropped off, as pro GPS collar locations. In early November hundred metersfrom him,according to though we were often less than a few in thefield,weneveractuallysawV028, Yet,how hesurvived. despiteallourtime tounderstand following V028,trying I spent more than 200 days in the field I wasmissing? these ponds? Was there an obvious clue at oneoftheseponds.Whatwasitabout where V028 killed beavers, it was never currently visiting. go tonextbasedonthepondhewas could guesswhichpondthewolfwould while, V028becamesopredictable thatI pond, andrepeating. Infact,foralittle ing one or twomilestoanotheractive ding downnexttoabeavertrail,mov- of beaver ponds, visiting a pond, bed- Interestingly, though,ofalltheplaces From MaytoNovember, Austinand - ballads, andany Sigurd Olsonbook. Gordon LightfootandJohnDenver places, whichhethinksgowell with exploring northernMinnesota’s wild Voyageurs. Inhisfree time,Tom enjoys studied wolf-beaverinteractions in Northern MichiganUniversity where he recently completed hismaster’s at Voyageurs NationalPark(VNP).He predation on moose,deerandbeaversin University ofMinnesota,studyingwolf Tom GableisaPhDstudentatthe andhuntingprey.territory roams his the northwoods, surveilling camera photographsshowthathestill no longerhasonaGPScollar, game- habits, behavior and life. Although V028 I gainedanintimateperspectiveonhis beaver killjustbelowtheactivedam. hours before thecollardropped, wasa The lastcluster, whichoccurred three hunt beavers,butwasneversuccessful. during summerandfall,presumably to visited this pond more than 15times his lastclusteroflocations.V028had beaver pondwhere V028hadprovided Over the months I followed V028,

Austin Homkes in August2017. via aremotecamera another packmember graphed howlingwith Left: V028photo- River Pack. members oftheMoose tags) andtwoother V028 (wolfwithear August 2017of photograph from Above: Gamecamera Spring 2018 n

25 Austin Homkes Wolves, Polar Bears and Two Conferences

Text by Debra Mitts-Smith, photos by Rob Schultz

hompson, Manitoba, is a min- ing town in the boreal forest of TCanada, an area rich with wild- life. This town of about 13,000 people is seeking to become a “Wolf Center of Excellence” in order to supplement its mining economy with eco-tourism. Wolf statues dot the town, and a wolf mural covers the side of a prominent building, rest of Canada, and last year, its rail link visible a mile away. The creation of a washed away in a flood. The last ship of wolf observation and education center the season had departed a week before similar to the International Wolf Center our arrival is a civic goal for coming years. Polar bears gather on the shores of On Monday, October 16, 2017, sev- Hudson Bay each fall, waiting for the bay eral International Wolf Center board to freeze so they can venture out to hunt and staff members, volunteers, and seals on the frozen sea ice. Polar bears donors—including me—boarded flights are common on the streets of Churchill. to Thompson to attend the second Wolf There is even the world’s only “Polar Bear and Carnivore Conference. Jail”—a repurposed aircraft hangar— On Tuesday, some of us boarded for bears that have shown too keen an a charter flight from Thompson to interest in exploring the town. Several Churchill, Manitoba to participate in bears were in jail during our visit. The the pre-conference event—a polar bear bears are held in temporary captivity for expedition. Churchill, which sits on the a month or until Hudson Bay freezes, tundra on the shores of Hudson Bay, is when they are released to join fellow a frontier town. There bears in the migratory hunt for seals. are no roads connect- Although encounters with polar bears ing Churchill with the can be dangerous, the bears are also a source of pride to the local residents, who eagerly share stories of their chance meetings with bears on the streets of Churchill. Safe in our “Tundra Buggy,” we saw two polar bears napping and a variety of birds, including a snowy owl perched on a boulder, as well as two arctic hares. But a highlight of the day was watching two foxes—an arctic fox and a black red fox—hunting and caching lemmings. It was an exhilarating look at a natural scene most of us had never before witnessed. The conference met all day on Wednesday and Thursday at a lodge outside Thompson, bringing together

26 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org Clockwise from left: Volker Beckmann, Nancy jo Tubbs and Dr. L. David Mech speak to attendees at the second Wolf and Carnivore Conference.

a mix of people from wildlife biologists caribou herd of Manitoba. Rob Schultz, Debra Mitts-Smith is a School of and managers to academics, authors, and executive director of the International Information Sciences faculty member at lay people interested in wolves, polar Wolf Center, and Nancy Gibson, the the University of Illinois. Her research bears and other large carnivores. Four Center’s co-founder, shared the history and teaching focus on visual culture, keynote speakers included wolf expert of the Center, information about its children’s literature, history of the book and International Wolf Center founder ambassador wolves, and recent exhib- and storytelling. Her book, Picturing Dr. L. David Mech; Russian zoologist, its and programs, as well as the Center’s the Wolf in Children’s Literature, was published wildlife biologist and polar bear expert success and growth as a wolf education by Routledge in 2010. Dr. Nikita Ovsyanikov; wildlife ecolo- organization. They also offered sugges- gist and Director of Science at Alpha tions to Thompson’s civic leaders who Wildlife Research and Management, hope to emulate the Center’s success. n Ltd. Dr. Gilbert Proulx; and biologist and author of Wolves in Canada, Erin McCloskey. Dr. Mech explored whether wolves A Conference for You are responsible for declining moose and caribou numbers. Dr. Ovsyanikov’s pre- If you are a wildlife supporter interested in wolves, mark sentation focused on the impact of climate your calendar now for the 2018 International Wolf change, habitat loss and human interfer- Symposium, “Wolves in a Changing World.” Sponsored by ence on polar bears. Dr. Proulx explored the International Wolf Center, the symposium will run from and questioned the practice of culling October 11-14 at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest in Minneapolis, wolf populations in western Canada to where wolf experts from around the world will speak on all things wolf. help prevent caribou from being extir- pated. McCloskey spoke on eco-tourism Dr. L. David Mech will be a keynote speaker, and Mike Phillips, executive director and citizen science, as well various wolf of the Turner Endangered Species Fund, will be the banquet speaker. Dr. Doug Smith, project populations found across Canada. leader for the Yellowstone Wolf Restoration Project, and filmmaker Bob Landis will be the Wildlife biologists, managers and aca- featured speakers during a special presentation on the 20 years of wolves in Yellowstone. demics presented on a range of topics Plenary sessions and panel discussions by leading experts will focus on the status of wolves including: public education to minimize around the world, the wolves of Ellesmere Island, Michipicoten Island and Isle Royale, wolves and prevent human-bear conflict; size and livestock depredation, eastern Canis including red wolves, eastern wolves, and Mexican variation in the eastern coyote; various gray wolves. The symposium will hold poster sessions throughout the conference, and feature aspects of wolf predation such as diet, concurrent sessions covering a range of topics from the distribution of wolves around the social behavior and pack size; the desire world, to wolf ecology, wolf-human interactions, wolf management and policies, wildlands to stop the use of poison and snaring of and ecosystems, wolf conservation and education, and emerging research and technologies. wolves in Alberta and British Columbia; and the status of the Qamanirjuaq Register for the conference at www.wolf.org/programs/symposium-2018/.

International Wolf Spring 2018 27 Wolves and Free-ranging Dogs Observed and Analyzed

Book review by Nancy jo Tubbs

few years ago, while walking a dog can’t bare its teeth, rural road on the Big Island of or it has tiny ears or AHawaii, a friend and I saw three a wrinkled face, it is big dogs crest a hill nearby and stand limited in its ability to focused on us. When my friend quietly use those features to reached down and picked up a chunk of communicate. lava from the roadside, the dogs turned Both dogs and and trotted away. wolves exhibit scent- It’s not uncommon to encounter an rolling behavior, and unleashed dog or three in a rural area Spotte’s vast experience or even in a town, and if the dogs are as a marine biologist unfamiliar, the question arises about just is perhaps best exhib- how differently the group might behave ited in his story of dogs from their ancestors—a pack of wolves. brought to a beach Stephen Spotte, in Societies of Wolves where a whale had and Free-ranging Dogs, draws on close died. “They appeared observations of the behavioral biology of stunned at first, over- both, and on heavily-footnoted research whelmed by ancestral from around the world. From dingoes olfaction myths about in Southeast Asia to free-ranging dogs Dog Heaven suddenly in Israel, Brazil and Baltimore’s alleys, come true. I can state he details the similarities and differences with certainty that of the two species. nothing seems more Like wolves, the Baltimore dogs chose joyful to a dog than travel patterns for easy access away from taking a good roll against the collapsed Societies of Wolves and people, but unlike their ancestors they carcass of a putrid whale.” Free-ranging Dogs traveled alone or in groups up to five, Through mating behavior and lit- casually meeting and separating again ter size, dominance hierarchies, pack By Stephen Spotte as they foraged around trash and dump membership, genetics, inter-breeding Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2012 sites. Dogs in Alaska sometimes coop- and more, this book explores the wolf- 377 Pages erated to hunt snowshoe hares, and ish heritage and human influences on dingoes in Australia are known to kill dogs, domestic and wild. Students of kangaroos, but in other places wild dogs behavioral ecology will find the detailed rarely attacked large, wild prey. research fascinating, and the layperson While dogs and wolves share many will enjoy the author’s candid observa- forms of visual communication, dog tions about these canid cousins. n breeds are often handicapped by their physical features. A tail that’s positioned high, low or wagging signals dominance, submission or excitement in both wolf and dog—unless the dog breed has the handicap of a nubby tail. If a breed of

28 Spring 2018 www.wolf.org Jr. Wolf Biologist Camps Time to unplug your kids from Wolf the virtual world and reconnect them with the great outdoors by having them join us at our Jr. Den Store Wolf Biologist summer camps. Kids will learn about wolves and other animals through engaging, hands-on outdoor activities. Members Save Logo Wear Hooded 2-Day Mini Camps 10% Sweatshirt • June 11-12 V&P Photo Studio Item: 314p • August 6-7 $25.00 4-Day Summer Camp • July 16-19 For more information, or to register, visit

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To Order, visit: or call 1-800-ELY-WOLF Your purchases help support the mission of the International Wolf Center. NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. Postage PAID 7100 Northland Circle N, Ste. 205, Permit #4894 Minneapolis, MN 55428 Twin Cities, MN

Wolves in a Changing World October 11–14, 2018

New Optional Events added: • Wolves & Wilderness Bus Tour to International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota • Welcome Rendezvous Reception with Cash Bar • The Last Great Wolf Restoration Banquet To register, or for more information, visit Minneapolis Marriott Northwest 7025 Northland Dr N, Minneapolis, MN 55428