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Tom Spears / Dark Matter Science Blog / Ottawa Citizen
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Here's a wolf study from northern Michigan that's been completely unnoticed in Canada.
One issue with wolves is whether they can survive in small numbers -- in other words, is it OK to kill a lot of them, or to pin them down in small areas that can only support small numbers?
Evidence for the "Yes" side of this argument came from Isle Royale, a large island in Lake Superior where a small wolf population arrived over the ice from the mainland in 1940 and studied for 50-plus years. People said, hey, these wolves are fine. There are 24 of them alive today.
A new study from Michigan Technological University says they're not doing so well. Most of the wolves studied today have developed a condition of deformed bones in the lower back, probably from inbreeding. And 33 percent display a specific deformity -- lumbosacral transitional vertebrae -- which can cause full or partial paralysis of the rear legs and tail, as well as back pain. It is a condition also seen in domestic dogs, but is rare in most wolves.
Further, the Isle Royale wolves' main food is moose, and they are increasingly relying on older, weaker moose, hinting that the wolves themselves are not as strong as they once were. Conclusion: Small numbers of wolves don't have a big enough gene pool to stay healthy.
Whether to intervene is the next question, the researchers suggest. They are inviting the public to weigh in on the matter, through a blog on their Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Study web site, http://www.isleroyalewolf.org.
The decision is complicated, balancing values associated with wilderness, scientific knowledge, healthy ecosystems and animal welfare.
Adds MTU scientist Rolf Peterson, "This is not a decision just for scientists to make any more."
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