The moose would then flourish and overpopulate the island decimating their food source, resulting in mass starvation. The idea of relocating wolves to the island went against the NPS’s policy of “Let nature take its course.” The NPS surmised by following its hands-off policy. The National Park Service (NPS) began determining what, if anything, to do. The wolf population, however, declined to just three by 2015. The moose recovered from there and grew to 1,250 by 2015. The recovering moose population dropped again due to weather effects and tick-borne disease to an all-time low of just 385 animals. By 2006, Isle Royale had 30 wolves in three packs. Salvation temporarily came in the winter of 1997 when a wolf crossed the ice bridge bringing new life for the wolves. Pictured here is the first wolf released on Isle Royale, one of four transported in from Minnesota. But in 1996, a lack of food, an abundance of moose ticks, and a severe winter decimated moose numbers from their all-time high to just 500. With low predation in the late 1980s and early 1990s, their population tripled to almost 2,400. The moose also experienced dramatic change. All of Isle Royale’s wolves were highly inbred, descending from a single female and two males. What they discovered was Isle Royale’s isolation, so advantageous for research, created a natural barrier for wolf health. The population partially recovered during the 1980s, only to fall again in the next decade. The wolf population then suffered further fluctuation, dropping from 50 to 14 due to a canine virus. The study was proving that rich, dynamic variation, not “balance of nature” was the force that guides nature. During that save time, wolves more than doubled to fifty. By 1980, the moose population had tripled from its original size and then declined to half its maximum size. This startling shift in the balance of nature procured more funding for further research. Photo credit: NPSĮleven years later, the moose population had doubled. Its modern-day name comes from French Jesuit missionaries honoring their royal patrons. Isle Royale is 45 miles long, and its widest point is nine miles. But scientists kept observing and their patience paid off in a big way. The conclusion was that the ecosystem had achieved a “balance of nature,” a commonly accepted norm for the dynamics of the natural world. The hope had been that knowledge about wolves would replace hateful myths and form the basis for a wiser relationship with wolves.”Īfter several years of predator-prey research on Isle Royale, ecologists noted not much had changed between the wolves and moose. Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale, states on its website, “The project began during the darkest hours for wolves in North America-humans had driven wolves to extinction in large portions of their former range. Catching wind of something unique, the scientists showed up in 1958 to begin their landmark research. Then, the wolves came in the late 1940s, and everything changed. Isle Royale became a national park in 1940. Moose arrived on Isle Royale in the early 1900s, crossing an ice bridge from Canada. Vucetich, Michigan Technological University Wolves are the apex predators in Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park, the subject of the world’s longest-running predator-prey study. Beaver is a preferred food of the wolves when they can get it. The study also estimates a whopping 457 beaver colonies (lodges, dams). The winter study is a collaboration between the NPS, Michigan Tech, and the ongoing research project, Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale.Įstimates from the 2022 report (based on a 38-day study) include: The results should be available this spring. Winter, with its absence of leaves and white ground, is the ideal time for aerial surveys. The National Park Service is in the thick of collecting data for the 2023 Isle Royale Wolf Report. Observation of this struggle, now in its 64th year, is the world’s longest predator-prey study.
prey, plays out on Michigan’s Isle Royale.
In the northwest corner of Lake Superior’s icy waters, the ancient drama of life and death, predator vs.
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