Wolf relocated from Canada to Isle Royale found dead

Isle Royale wolves
A 4-year-old female gray wolf emerging from her cage at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan in September 2018.
National Park Service via AP file

A gray wolf that was moved from Canada to Michigan's Isle Royale National Park over the winter has been found dead.

Officials said Wednesday the black-coated male's body was found in the middle of a large, swampy area at the southwestern end of the Lake Superior wilderness island.

Its tracking collar had been transmitting a mortality signal since late March. Personnel had to wait until the park opened for the season in mid-April to investigate.

The carcass was too badly decomposed to determine a cause of death.

The park's natural resources chief, Mark Romanski, says the male had been traveling with a female and its loss is disappointing.

Isle Royale now has 14 wolves, including 12 relocated from Minnesota and Canada since last fall to rebuild the park's diminished population.

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