Isle Royale-Wolf Survey

FILE - This Sept. 26, 2018 file photo provided by the National Park Service shows NPS staff unloading a crated gray wolf from a United States Fish & Wildlife Service aircraft at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.

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Researchers say remote Lake Superior island's wolves are thriving as packs prey on moose

Researchers say remote Lake Superior island's wolves are thriving as packs prey on moose

Researchers say more wolves are roaming a remote Lake Superior island, using moose as one of their primary food sources. Isle Royale is a 134,000-acre island in far western Lake Superior between Grand Marais, Minnesota, and Thunder Bay, Canada. Scientists began surveying the island's wolves in 1958. A team of researchers led by Michigan Tech University conducted this year's study between Jan. 22 and March 3. They estimate that the island's wolf population has grown to 37, up from the last estimate of 30 in 2024. They estimated the island's moose population has dropped 75% since reaching a high of 2,000 in 2019. They attribute the decline to wolf depredation.