(WWJ) The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is investigating something extremely rare: the confirmed presence of a gray wolf in the Lower Peninsula.
According to the news release by the DNR on Wednesday, a hunter reported that he'd harvested a large animal in Calhoun County in January during a legal coyote hunt. But the genetic tests by the DNR revealed that the animal was in fact a gray wolf.
The DNR said the hunter was hunting coyote with a guide when he encountered what he thought was a large coyote. The animals weighed 84 lbs., the DNR said, while eastern coyotes typically weigh between 25 lbs. and 40 lbs.
The DNR stressed that Michigan’s known wolf population is located in the Upper Peninsula, and while the department continues to search for wolves across the state, it is not believed that the Lower Peninsula has an established wolf population.
WWJ's Dan Jenkins spoke with Brian Roell, a wildlife biologist with the DNR, who said an investigation is now underway.
"We know wolves have gotten to the Lower Peninsula before, but obviously this is very, extremely rare," Roell said. "And it also begs the question then: How did it get there? That question hasn't been answered yet."
Roell said the DNR has confirmed past instances in which wolves made it across the Straits of Mackinac and into lower Michigan, and it's clear that these animals are capable of long-distance movement.
The DNR highlighted several previous instances of wolves in the northern Lower Peninsula, including:
- In October 2004, a wolf originally collared in the eastern Upper Peninsula was captured and killed by a coyote trapper in Presque Isle County.
- During winter track surveys in 2011 and 2015, track evidence consistent with wolflike animals was observed in Cheboygan and Emmet counties.
- In 2014, biologists from the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians captured a wolf on a trail camera during an eagle survey. DNA analysis of scat collected at the site confirmed the animal as a wolf.
Jenkins asked Roell if Michiganders should be concerned about the potential for wolves to travel into more populated areas.
"No, not really. It's such a rare occurrence," Roell said. "I mean, you've got a far more danger from your dog getting hit by a car, you know, then being attacked by a wolf."
"And truthfully," he added, "if wolves do make it to the Lower Peninsula, it's likely going to be the northern Lower Peninsula; maybe like in the Pigeon River country, there's some suitable habitat. Most of the (Lower Peninsula) — particularly the southern Lower Peninsula — is not suitable wolf habitat."
Roell said wolves are not nearly as adaptable as coyotes, which have been known to adjust to life among humans in suburbs and cities.
Roell said the DNR does have a survey planned for next year looking for wolves in the LP, as such a survey hasn't been conducted since 2019.
In the meantime, they'll be seeking to learn more about this Calhoun County wolf. But at this time, while the investigation continues, Roell said he can't provide any further details about where the wolf was found.
"Through our investigation we may find more on how it got there; it may have not been natural," Roell said. "...It may have had human assistance in getting that far. There is that possibility; we haven't ruled that out yet either, so that's why it's an active investigation."
Roell said it is illegal to move an endangered species, such as the gray wolf, across state lines.
Wolves in Michigan are currently classified as an endangered species by federal court order. Hunting wolves while they are on the endangered species list is prohibited, and wolves can be killed only if they are a direct and immediate threat to human life. The DNR says livestock owners affected by wolf depredation can be compensated for their losses.
For more information on Michigan’s wolf population, visit Michigan.gov/Wolves.