Hoosier State harbors secret wolves
By BRENT WHEAT
Outdoors columnist
WOLF IN INDIANA — This corner is often left messages from people who
claim to have seen or possess proof that Indiana harbors a secret
population of bears, cougars, wolves and other such critters. The more
conspiracy-minded usually claim that the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources has surreptitiously imported animals such as rattlesnakes and
badgers simply to annoy local citizens. However, in one recent case,
rumors of exotic animals are based in fact.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), a
one-year-old gray wolf that was born in Wisconsin was found dead in June
near Winchester, Indiana, a few miles from the Ohio border.
The carcass was found approximately 150 yards out in a soybean field where
authorities believe it died after being hit by a vehicle.
The male wolf had initially been captured in 2002 near Black River Falls
in Jackson County when it was a 46-pound pup. The wolf was released after
being fitted with an ear tag radio transmitter that allowed authorities to
follow its movement. The tag failed sometime after Jan. 15 of this year
while the wolf was still in its home territory.
According WDNR Mammalian Ecologist and Wolf Specialist Adrian Wydeven,
young wolves “leave their home pack and travel some distance to join a new
pack, or find a mate and empty wild areas where they establish their own
territory.”
“This wolf was found more than 407 miles away in a straight line across
the map, which cuts across the bottom of Lake Michigan, so it is obvious
he actually traveled much farther, especially considering he had to get
around the greater metropolitan Chicago and Gary areas,” Wydeven said.
He also noted, “This wolf illustrates that wolves can disperse through
highly developed landscapes, but it would be unlikely that packs could
settle in these agricultural, urban and industrial areas. But they sure do
keep surprising us.”