Gray wolves on Isle Royale are exhibiting unusual behavior and getting a bit too comfortable with people.
Isle Royale is home to 30 gray wolves that were re-introduced in 2019. Their population has been steady, but reports of human-wolf interactions are increasing, according to the National Park Service.
The park has implemented "hazing" measures like shooting wolves with paintballs and installing electric fences around dumpsters to scare wolves away from populated areas. The park has also updated its guidelines on food storage, recommending campers lock up food and hikers keep their packs on them.
Sarah Hoy is an assistant professor with Michigan Technological University, who studies wolves on the island. She said wolves typically avoid people, but accessible human food may be attracting some curious individuals.
"What's a bit unusual in this case is: it's not just that people are seeing wolves, but the wolves seem to be investigating human food sources, including trash cans and trash they might find," Hoy said.
Hoy said since the park deson't have bears, there hasn't been a tradition of locking up food, but she's hopeful the new precautions will deter wolves from campgrounds.
"You definitely don't want wild animals to build a dependence or reliance on human sources of food," Hoy said. "One, human food sources are typically not as nutritious and tend to have a lot of sugar and carbohydrates. If you have animals congregating around human food sources, that can lead to things like higher disease transmission as well."
If you spot a wolf, the park recommends making loud noises and backing away slowly but to avoid running.
Editor's note: The National Park Service at Isle Royale did not immediately respond to WCMU's request for comment.
