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Wolf relocated from Canada to Isle Royale found dead

The carcass was too badly decomposed to determine a cause of death.

Credit: AP

FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2019 file photo provided by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the U.S. National Park Service and the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation, a white wolf is released onto Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. Authorities are preparing for another mission to relocate gray wolves to Isle Royale National Park from a second Lake Superior island. The wolves would be moved from Michipicoten Island in Canadian territory, where they're in danger of starvation after gobbling up a caribou herd. The transfer planned for this weekend is part of a multi-year effort to rebuild wolf numbers at Isle Royale, which have plummeted in the past decade. (Daniel Conjanu/The National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation via AP, File)

ISLE ROYALE, Mich. — A gray wolf that was moved from Canada to Michigan's Isle Royale National Park over the winter has been found dead.

Officials said Wednesday the black-coated male's body was found in the middle of a large, swampy area at the southwestern end of the Lake Superior wilderness island.

Its tracking collar had been transmitting a mortality signal since late March. Personnel had to wait until the park opened for the season in mid-April to investigate.

The carcass was too badly decomposed to determine a cause of death.

The park's natural resources chief, Mark Romanski, says the male had been traveling with a female and its loss is disappointing.

Isle Royale now has 14 wolves, including 12 relocated from Minnesota and Canada since last fall to rebuild the park's diminished population.

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