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Boreal Community Media

Minnesota wolf dies in relocation process to Isle Royale

Sep 29, 2018 09:20AM ● By Editor

 Wildlife researchers involved with the wolf relocation to Isle Royale. Photo courtesy of: USFWS/Courtney Celley


By Joe Friedrichs of WTIP Radio News - September 29, 2018

A Minnesota wolf died Thursday, Sept. 27, in conjunction with a long-anticipated plan to relocate wolves from the mainland to Isle Royale.

Multiple wolves were captured this week from the Grand Portage Reservation as a part of the ongoing relocation effort. Following two successful transfers on Tuesday, another female wolf was captured and on initial inspection by on-site wildlife biologists, deemed fit for translocation. The wolf was sedated and transported to the holding facility for further medical examination.

In the holding facility its condition deteriorated and it died despite the best efforts of the attending veterinarians, according to officials with the National Park Service. The wolf was transported to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Lab for necropsy and diagnostic evaluation on Friday.

Park Service officials said the wolf research team and partners immediately reviewed protocols.  Adjustments were made to the relocation plan including the length of time a captured wolf is kept in the field prior to transport, and the sedation procedures used to lower stress during transportation.

In a statement sent to WTIP, the Park Service said that its partners associated with this effort take every capture very seriously and put the safety and health of the wolves as a top priority, as does the Park Service. The relocation effort is continuing over the upcoming weeks.
 

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