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LONE WOLF TRAVELS RECORD 4200 MILES ACROSS GREAT LAKE REGION

Published: 2023-02-27 13:38:52 Last Updated: 2023-02-27 18:03:08

Migration is a fundamental part of life and an annual routine for most animals. Humpback and killer whales travel thousands of Kilometres in search of food, while tigers can travel hundreds of kilometres in search of mates. Many animals, including mountain lions and other species living in North America, sense a human's touch in their wild possessions. Grey wolves are also great travellers. According to its GPS collar, a lone wolf recently set a shocking record by walking 4,200 miles across the Great Lakes region. This journey lasted 18 months.

Grey wolves, an umbrella species with many species around the world, are migratory by nature. Males particularly like to disperse and search for their territory. On June 21, 2021, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources collared a male wolf in the state's Upper Peninsula. This is a practice they have been using since 1992 to learn more about this species and monitor their welfare. However, this 92 kg wolf took them on a 1.5 year journey that surpassed anything they had seen before.

First, the wolf ran south to Wisconsin for the summer. It then traversed the northern portion of the state before entering Minnesota south of Lake Superior. The mammal then looped around in a figure eight and dove into North Dakota before crossing through Minnesota again. From there he made his way to Ontario, Canada via Voyagers National Park.

He took the northern route through the forests of Quetico Provincial Park and headed north to Wabakimi Provincial Park. The wild wanderer then returned through Quetico Park before turning west through the province and into neighbouring Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba. Unfortunately, a grey wolf was shot by a hunter in this park on December 6, 2022. The hunter who killed the wolf did so legally and said he did not see his GPS collar before shooting him. However, the sad ending to the wolf's long, record-breaking journey has startled many online.

“It never really settled down,” DNR biologist Brian Roell said. “Often it seems like some of these wolves are destined to stay loners.” He also noted, “The use of GPS collars will certainly add more insight to movement of these amazing animals and likely show that others may make similar movements over time… But I suspect this will stand as a record for some time for Michigan.” Despite the sad ending for this wolf, long journeys are not uncommon among his species. Another male Michigan wolf made it 2,000 miles before dying by car.

Article Tags: Animals Story Sad Breaking Record Travel Wolf Lone