Michigan Wolf Numbers Continue to Rise

Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials announced that a winter survey of the wolf population indicates that at least 434 wolves roam the state's Upper Peninsula (UP). The number has increased from the 405 animals counted in 2005. Wolf surveys are conducted during winter months, when wolf numbers are at their lowest.

Last winter, DNR biologists conducted the wolf survey with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services. They spent more than 2,000 hours tracking wolves, making aerial observations of packs of radio-collared wolves, and gathering other evidence to determine the number of animals. The DNR regularly monitors approximately 50 wolves that have been fitted with radio collars to determine their movements and survival.

A track survey in the northern Lower Peninsula did not confirm the presence of any wolves. In October and November 2004, the presence of three wolves was documented in Presque Isle County, the first confirmation of wolves in the Lower Peninsula in more than 60 years.

Wolves dispersing from Canada, Minnesota and Wisconsin were occasionally present in the UP during the 1960s through the 1980s. Reestablishment of a resident population appears to have begun in 1989 when three animals established a territory in the western UP. Since 1989, the wolf population has increased every year except 1997, when a small population decline was noted.

Visit Michigan's Department of Natural Resources Web site for more information.