- Officials with Isle Royale National Park announced Friday the decision to ‘lethally remove’ a wolf they say became reliant ‘on human food’
- The decision came following weeks of efforts from park staff to deter the animal from human areas, with little success
- Park officials are asking visitors to observe food storage rules in an effort to deter any further human/wolf interactions
Officials with Isle Royale National Park announced Friday they had killed a wolf believed to have become dependent “on human food sources” and causing a “number of concerning incidents” between visitors and wildlife.
Isle Royale Superintendent Denice Swanke, in a statement, called the decision to kill the wolf “deeply unfortunate” but said it was necessary “due to a growing public safety risk.”
The wolf was killed earlier this month, though an exact time or day was not included in the park’s announcement. The animal’s age and gender was also not included.
“Our priority remains the safety of park visitors and staff, and the protection of wildlife in their natural state, including our objective to maintain a wild wolf population,” Swanke said.
She additionally stressed the need for park visitors to “understand the importance of adherence and vigilance to food storage regulations” in an effort to help minimize any “negative human-wildlife interactions.”
Isle Royale National Park comprises one large island and hundreds of smaller islands, covering 850 square miles. It’s located above the Upper Peninsula in Lake Superior.
Apart from being an exciting sight for visitors, the gray wolf population on Isle Royale plays a vital role as the park’s top predator. Other large predators are absent, including bears, coyotes and mountain lions.
Wolves keep the population of moose, another prominent animal at Isle Royale, stable. Biologists have been studying the relationship between the two animals since wolves crossed over on an ice bridge from Canada in 1948, making it the longest predator-prey study in the world.
From a low of two wolves in 2018, the population bounced back to 14 in 2020, according to the National Park Service. Roughly 30 wolves have lived in the national park since 2024.
The island has long struggled with wolf/human interactions, the animals having been seen venturing into campgrounds to steal food from trash cans and nabbing unattended food storage bins when visitors aren’t paying attention.
Such was the case with the wolf killed earlier this month, park officials noted in a statement, saying it and at least one other had been “repeatedly sighted in campgrounds and developed areas, exhibiting signs of habituation and a reliance on human food sources.”
Efforts were first made to deter the animals from campsites, including changes in waste management practices and implementation of food storage regulations. Nonetheless, the wolves continued to display what park officials called “escalating boldness” around areas frequented by visitors and staff.
“After extensive monitoring and attempts at deterrence, and in consultation with state, federal and tribal agencies, the difficult decision to lethally remove this wolf was made,” officials said in a statement. “Park personnel will continue to track wolf/human interactions and remove additional wolves only if necessary.”
Food storage guidelines for the park are posted online.
Liz Valencia, supervisory park ranger at Isle Royale National Park, told Bridge Michigan in a statement that failure to observe the guidelines could result in visitors receiving “a citation and possibly fine for not following the guidance.”
Thank you to our Bridge Michigan Outdoors sponsors
Bridge Michigan Outdoors is made possible by generous financial support from our sponsors. Please visit the About page for more information and to subscribe to Bridge Michigan Outdoors. Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Emma Carr.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under our Republication Guidelines. Questions? Email republishing@bridgemi.com
