Michigan wolf survey shows steady population that's moving east
A gray wolf is shown in Marquette County
(FOX 2) - Michigan's wolf population hasn't changed much in abundance, but state wildlife officials believe the apex predators are moving around the state.
The Department of Natural Resources reports that its annual survey of gray wolves estimates there area at least 631 of the carnivores in the state's upper peninsula. A total of 136 packs were reported with about 4.5 individuals per pack.
That's pretty close to the estimates from the last survey taken in 2010, wolf specialist Cody Norton said.
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"These results show a continued trend of statistical stability, indicating that gray wolves may have reached their biological carrying capacity within the Upper Peninsula," He said. "Wolf presence has only been confirmed twice genetically in the Lower Peninsula in recent times; in 2004 and 2014."
However, it's where the wolves have move that has interested the DNR. The density of the packs has moved from the western UP to the eastern UP. The likely reason is due to a brutalstring of winter weather events that greatly reduced the amount of food available to wolves.
The high-snowfall events are likely responsible for lowering the population of deer - the primary source of food for wolves.
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Wolf surveys undertaken by the DNR have shown steady growth among the populations between 1989 and 2011. From 1994 to 2007, the population grew by 19% each year. From 2003 to 2007, the annual rate slowed to 12%.
Wildlife biologists now believe the wolf population may have reached its maximum capacity this decade after reporting minimal change in their numbers over the past decade. The population has hovered between 618 and 695.