Have Wolves returned to Atlantic Canada?

[Brandon Pickett]

TheCanadian Press

Date: Sunday Apr. 29, 2012 9:24 AM ET

Read more: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20120429/wolves-atlantic-canada-12...

The sightings of two suspected wolves in Atlantic Canada in recent weeks has left experts wondering why the animals may be in a region of the country where they have not been seen for decades.

An 82-pound canine was shot in Newfoundland in early March. At the beginning of April, a 90-pound animal was shot in New Brunswick.

As the first kill of his coyote hunting season, New Brunswick hunter Jacques Mallet couldn’t believe the size of the animal.

“When I killed it, we were a bit nervous weighing it,” Mallet said.

Mallet called New Brunswick’s Natural Resources Department, which took samples for DNA testing.

“If it is a coyote, I think it would be a record for North America,” he said.

Biologists at Natural Resources believe wolves were hunted to extinction in New Brunswick by 1860, two years after legislation was enacted by the government to “encourage the destruction of wolves in this province.”

Fred Harrington, an animal psychologist, has studied wolves and coyotes for over 30 years and says he believes the animals are likely wolves based on their size alone.

Harrington says the average male wolves he encountered while working in Minnesota were between 75 and 90 pounds, with females being 10 to 15 pounds lighter.

He says both animals could have made it to Newfoundland and New Brunswick on ice floes, at which point they would look for territory and mates.

“Finding a territory would be kind of easy because there are no territories as far as I know staked by wolves south of the St. Lawrence River,” he said.

“Wolves can move hundreds of kilometres in search of suitable territory and in search of a suitable mate.”

Harrington says it’s also possible that the animals were kept as household pets and escaped, or they could’ve been deliberately released in a “misguided attempt to bring the animal back to their neck of the woods.”

“There is that sentiment,” he said. “There are people in New England who would love to have wolves back and of course the governments are not in the business of wanting to do that.”

It’s illegal to own wolves in both provinces, so Harrington says he doubts anyone would come forward to claim the animals if they owned them.

Simon Gadbois, a researcher at Dalhousie University’s canid research laboratory, says wolves and coyotes are known to have interbred, pointing to a study published last year that found the eastern coyote had eight per cent wolf ancestry and eight per cent dog ancestry in its DNA.

He said that could explain the animals in New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

"To be of that size, they would have to be recent hybrids,” said Gadbois. “They would have interbred with wolves or coyotes, depending which one is the first, some time probably one or two generations ago.”

Gadbois said if the animals turn out to be wolves, there is little cause of public concern.

“If anything, if there is wolf genes in those coyotes, I would think they would be less dangerous,” said Gadbois.

“Wolves … keep to themselves typically. They are much less likely to stick around humans.”

DNA results for both animals are expected in the next several weeks.

[Fred Woodman]

I dont think there is much doubt as to what it is.

The bigger question is 

How did it get here.?

How many do we have? 

It took approx 20 years for coyotes to become widespread and they are much more prolific than wolves as far as breeding. So its probably safe to assume we are a long ways away from any substantial wolf numbers.If ever.

As for having them and coyotes, put me on the list for not having a problem with it..

Ive had a ton of fun this past winter chasing coyotes and look forward to an open wolf season with huntable numbers.Great to be able to hunt with a rifle for other than a big game animal that I have to put in and draw tags for. 

Everywhere seems to be able to co exist with them Im sure we will too. Further it dont matter what we think, if they are here they are here.

Is a 204 Ruger to small for wolves ?.....hmm I need another gun...sweet. Dont forget guys to thank the coyote for being able to use your 22. Without coyotes our 22s would still only be usable at the range

[kenneth Griffiths]

Good read, i think they may have something there. I guess we will see in the next few weeks what it is.

[albert linegar]

If it is that difficult to tell the difference between a coyote and a wolf , except by size and weight or DNA , and that would appear to be the case , then maybe the Dept of Wildlife or Gov. should take the approach that coyote hunters shoot first and check size and weight later , since it would be difficult to determine from 2-3 hundred yards, and with nothing to compare them to, pretty near impossible . Also people taking German Sheppard dogs in the woods should make sure they are on leashes as the are supposed to be for that same reason. I personally think , and I do believe that most of us will agree that coyotes and wolves are not welcome here on this Island. Albert.

[Francis Ogden]

Very interesting read.....I totally agree with you Brandon, Great Post!!!!

[Brandon Pickett]

This post from the Canadian Press and CTV strikes the nail on the head I think. It is just too big of a stretch (too big and Wolfish looking) for this animal to be a Coyote or probably even a hybrid, it would need to be a recent hybrid which could mean Wolves are on the Island anyway. A Wolf-dog hybrid is a little out of the question as they are illegal here in Newfoundland. Plus, for it to look near 100% Wolf, selective breeding would need to occur or human involvement in other words. Which would rule out the possibility of a wild Wolf-dog hybrid as there would need to be multiple Wolves on the Island.

In all likeliness, the 82 pound animal is just a purebred Wolf. The odds for other possible combinations are just too low!