Lone wolf chasing snowmobilers

[Fish Felon]

LOCAL

Lone wolf chasing snowmobilers in Voyageurs National Park

By MARY LYNN SMITH , STAR TRIBUNE
March 04, 2015 - 12:02 AM


Voyageurs National Park officials took the action.

A lone wolf that has followed several snowmobilers in Voyageurs National Park has prompted park officials to close and reroute small sections of trails there.

Normally, a wolf wouldn’t get close to humans, which makes the behavior odd, according to park officials and a top wolf researcher. The trail changes are being done to protect visitors and the wolf, said park Superintendent Mike Ward.

The wolf, who appears to be alone and without a pack, trailed or ran alongside the snowmobilers in three separate incidents over a 10-day period in the park’s Ash River area, Ward said. The wolf sightings were within a mile of one another near a junction of three trails in the 218,000-acre park along the U.S. and Canadian border, he said.


The snowmobilers who were tailed by the wolf had different reactions, Ward said. One was nervous by the behavior; another group likened it to a dog that was being playful. But no one described the wolf as being aggressive, he said.

A wolf running with snowmobilers is unusual, said renowned Minnesota wolf researcher Dave Mech. “I don’t know of another case like that here,” he said. “There was one case in Canada a few months ago and that wolf was rabid. But I don’t think this one is. There’s no record of rabies in wolves in Minnesota. Never has been historically.”

Instead, Mech suspects the wolf is just “naive and young.”

Young wolves generally leave their pack between 1 and 3 years old, usually before 2 years old in Minnesota, Mech said.

“There’s plenty of these lone wolves around this time of year looking for a mate and some empty space,” he said. “They’re looking for a place where there are no other wolves and adequate prey. They have their own litter of pups and start their own pack.”

The wolf breeding season generally is over by the end of February, he said.

So it could be that this particular Voyageurs wolf didn’t find a mate, which explains why it was alone, Mech said. “But it doesn’t explain why it was chasing snowmobiles.”

Wolves instinctively chase prey that’s running, he said. “And if it’s a normal situation, it’s usually deer. They chase it and kill it,” he said. “You can understand why every now and then one of them might get off base and start chasing something that isn’t edible.

“It’s sort of like dogs chasing cars. There’s no good reason for it,” Mech said. “They just do it.”

Mech doubts the wolf would attack a snowmobiler. “My guess is if the snowmobiler stopped and the guy got off of it, the wolf would turn around and run like the deuce.”

Mech likens the young wolf’s odd behavior to that of the young moose that ends up in southern Minnesota, far from its normal territory.

“These are really young animals that really don’t know what they’re doing and they’re going off looking for a place to live,” Mech said. “Sometimes they don’t get things right.”

So while Voyageur’s snowmobile-chasing wolf tries to figure life out, park officials will reroute portions of the Green and Yellow trails.

“Because we can’t ask the wolf what it’s doing, we just need to separate humans from the wolf and try to figure it out,” Ward said. Biologists have gone out in search of the wolf to gather additional information, he said.

Mary Lynn Smith • 612-673-4788

[cstemig]

Wolves are our friends. They should be loved, cherished, and respected. Perhaps a Wolf Petting Park should be in order. Maybe even an "Adopt a Wolf" program could be started with a monthly subscription that is mailed to PETA and the idiot Feds.

[get-n-birdy]

Young wolves generally leave their pack between 1 and 3 years old, usually before 2 years old in Minnesota, Mech said.

“There’s plenty of these lone wolves around this time of year looking for a mate and some empty space,” he said. “They’re looking for a place where there are no other wolves and adequate prey. They have their own litter of pups and start their own pack.”





“Because we can’t ask the wolf what it’s doing, we just need to separate humans from the wolf and try to figure it out,” Ward said. Biologists have gone out in search of the wolf to gather additional information, he said.

So for clarity, there's "plenty" of these lone wolves? Then they normally go off, find a mate and have a litter of pups, their words not mine. Yet we've been stuck at a number of 2,500-3,000 pre pup wolves for how long now, with ample prey supplies? All the while the wolves home range has been expanding south? WTF!? I call BS! The numbers just don't add up?

Curious, young and naive, yep. That has to be what it is and why they are moving the route of the trail, because he' curious. Curiously hungry I'd bet. Someone should stop their sled and offer him up a sandwich.

[gimpfinger]

Likened it to a dog...yup there's the problem.

Team Power Dump

[Goldfish]

Wonder what the story would have been had it taken a snowmobiler

[cstemig]

Wonder what the story would have been had it taken a snowmobiler

"Wolf Found Dead After Choking on Snowmobiler's Gore Tex Suit!" by Iam Bored.

In rapid response to finding the dead wolf, the Federal Government has announced that it will sue the heirs of the dead snowmobiler for the loss of the wolf to the local eco-system. A U.S. Fish & Wildlife official stated that Gore Tex is not part of a wolf's natural diet and by subjecting this wolf to such a toxic item, the wolf suffered a horrible death. The official went on to say that " We cannot recover anything from the snowmobiler, but his heirs will pay dearly!"

Animal Rights groups and PETA applaud this decision. Both groups have long lobbied their elected officials into introducing the "Go Natural Laws" for anyone trespassing in a wolf's domain. In short, these groups want to see all visitors in these areas naked to prevent another tragedy such as this. One spokesman for these groups stated "By going naked into these areas, the likelihood of another toxic wolf death is reduced 100%."

Snowmobiles will still be permitted in these areas as officials believe that it stimulates a wolf's natural desire for the chase and kill.

[Nershi]

This probably wouldn't have made the news if the wolf wasn't on the endangered species list because they probably would have shot it, which is exactly what you should do to a dangerous predator that is chasing people in a national park.

[Goldfish]

Wonder what the story would have been had it taken a snowmobiler

"Wolf Found Dead After Choking on Snowmobiler's Gore Tex Suit!" by Iam Bored.

In rapid response to find the dead wolf, the Federal Government has announced that it will sue the heirs of the dead snowmobiler for the loss of the wolf to the local eco-system. A U.S. Fish & Wildlife official stated that Gore Tex is not part of a wolf's natural diet and by subjecting this wolf to such a toxic item, the wolf suffered a horrible death. The official went on to say that " We cannot recover anything from the snowmobiler, but his heirs will pay dearly!"

Animal Rights groups and PETA applaud this decision. Both groups have long lobbied their elected officials into introducing the "Go Natural Laws" for anyone trespassing in a wolf's domain. In short, these groups want to see all visitors in these areas naked to prevent another tragedy such as this. One spokesman for these groups stated "By going naked into these areas, the likelihood of another toxic wolf death is reduced 100%."

Snowmobiles will still be permitted in these areas as officials believe that it stimulates a wolf's natural desire for the chase and kill.

Lead and steel are natural elements

[get-n-birdy]

"Wolf Found Dead After Choking on Snowmobiler's Gore Tex Suit!" by Iam Bored

Iam Bored, is a great writer!

[Fish Felon]

"Wolf Found Dead After Choking on Snowmobiler's Gore Tex Suit!" by Iam Bored

Iam Bored, is a great writer!

The best!