Human habituated wolf killed on Isle Royale

Despite concerted efforts to maintain a wolf population on Isle Royale, the National Parks Service announced on Aug. 15 that park staff had lethally removed one of island’s resident wolves.

In a press release, Supervisory Park Ranger Liz Valencia explained that the wolf in question was one that had become habituated to humans, and was determined to pose a risk to park visitors. She wrote, “After extensive monitoring and attempts at deterrence, and in consultation with state, federal and tribal agencies, the difficult decision to lethally remove this wolf was made.”

This particular wolf, as well as at least one other, was seen dragging food packs away from campsites. For the 2025 season the park implemented new food storage rules for campsites that align with what is required in areas with bears. Though there are no bears on Isle Royale, some campsites now include storage lockers, sometimes referred to as “bear boxes,” and in the absence of a food locker, campers are required to hang their food packs in a tree, 12 ft of the ground, and 6 ft from the trunk.

Even with the stricter regulations around food storage and efforts from park staff to deter them, the wolves were frequently spotted near areas of human activity. Valencia wrote, “Despite proactive management efforts, including aversive conditioning, changes in waste management practices and implementation of food storage regulations, these wolves continued to display escalating boldness around visitors, campsites, and staff housing areas.”

The decision to kill a wolf on Isle Royale may surprise those who have followed the work to maintain a population in the park. Over the past few decades the status of wolves on the island has been tumultuous.

Data collected since 1980 shows that the population ranged largely over the past 45 years between 15 and 30 wolves. However, the 2010s saw a steady decline until just two wolves remained on the island. Those wolves were too inbred to reproduce, so in 2019 the park opted to airlift 19 wolves from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to the island to bolster the population and widen the genetic pool.

Since 2019 the population has made a recovery. The wolf population on Isle Royale was deemed stable in 2024, with 30 wolves on the island. For the past several years the count has fluctuated by only a few individuals. While the decision was made to kill one of them, Isle Royale Superintendent Denice Swanke was quoted in the press release emphasizing their continued commitment to protecting the wolves on Isle Royale.

Swanke said, “Our priority remains the safety of park visitors and staff, and the protection of wildlife in their natural state, including our objective to maintain a wild wolf population. While lethal removal is deeply unfortunate, it became necessary due to a growing public safety risk. All who appreciate and enjoy Isle Royale National Park need to understand the importance of adherence and vigilance to food storage regulations and our collective role in minimizing negative human-wildlife interactions”.

Kirsten Wisniewski August 16, 2025