The closely watched wolf population on Isle Royale National Park has dropped to just three — the lowest number recorded since scientists began tracking them more than 50 years ago and a sign that without human intervention, they will likely soon vanish from the island altogether.
In their annual wolf survey released Friday, researchers from Michigan Technological University said the number has plummeted from the nine they saw last winter, continuing a decline in a population that once numbered as high as 50.
Moose, however, are thriving. There are now about 1,250 on the island, a number that's increasing by about 22 percent a year. At that rate, the scientists said, their population will double in three years, a sharp contrast to the dwindling numbers a few miles away on the mainland in northern Minnesota.
The tiny number of wolves answers at least one question in the ongoing debate about whether humans should interfere in what has been a 57-year natural drama of predator and prey on Isle Royale. It's now too late for "genetic rescue" by adding one or two wolves to the island in the hope that they would breed with others and add badly needed genetic diversity to the inbred group, and perhaps more offspring.
The three wolves consist of two adults, likely a breeding pair, and a 9-month-old pup that could be theirs.
The youngster has some evident genetic deformities, making its survival unlikely, they said.
If the adults are a breeding pair, they are unlikely to mate with another wolf.
They appear to be in good shape and capable of having more pups, said Rolf Peterson, one of the researchers who's been studying the predator-prey dynamic for several decades.