Questions and answers about Michigan wolves
(AP) – Questions and answers about wolves in Michigan:
Q. How many are there, and where?
A. Latest census found about 360, scattered across the Upper Peninsula.
Largest numbers were in southern U.P., closer to Wisconsin.
Q. Weren’t wolves extinct in Michigan not long ago?
A. They’re still gone from the Lower Peninsula, and had virtually
disappeared from the Upper Peninsula by the 1960s. They have rebounded
sharply in the U.P. since the presence of a pack was confirmed in 1989.
Q. Why the comeback?
A. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 made it illegal to kill wolves. As
their numbers increased, they migrated to Michigan from Minnesota and
Wisconsin.
Q. Will the wolf cause a whitetail deer shortage for hunters?
A. Biologists say they won’t kill nearly enough to significantly reduce
deer numbers. Wolves also eat beaver, snowshoe hare and other small
mammals.
Q. Will land use be regulated to protect wolf habitat?
A. Michigan’s wolf recovery plan seeks no closures of roads or large land
tracts. It does suggest protecting dens and isolated areas where adults
take pups after weaning. If wolf habitat becomes badly fragmented by
development, travel corridors could be designated.