HUNTING IN PACKS
Wolves airdropped into the US to tackle ‘out of control’ moose problem
Four grey wolves were trapped in Canada and flown to their new home on an island in Lake Superior
FOUR wolves have been airlifted from Canada to a remote US island that is being overrun by moose.
The predators were flown by helicopter to Isle Royale National Park in Michigan - and within hours had joined a hunting pack.
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Wildlife rangers say the moose population is growing out of control and want to boost the number of wolves to keep them in check.
Last week three males and a female were trapped with net guns and sedated at two sites in Ontario.
Each one was tagged with a radio collar and given a checkup before being released into the nature reserve.
Park official Mark Romanski said: "I am blown away by the resilience of these wolves, who within hours after undergoing capture and handling and arriving on Isle Royale, immediately got on the trail of their pack mates.
"These large males, all around 90lbs (40kg), will almost certainly know what to do when they encounter a moose."
The four new arrivals - brought in separately over several days - means there are now a total of eight, four males and four females.
POPULATION SLUMP
Last year rangers revealed a plan to move up to 30 wolves to restore the ecosystem on Isle Royale, an island chain in Lake Superior on the US-Canadian border.
Wolves are not native to the islands, but established territory after crossing an ice bridge in a particularly cold winter more than 75 years ago.
Their numbers peaked at around 50 in 1980, but declined until only two non-breeding wolves were left.
Moose have also found their way to the islands and there are now around 1,500.
Experts say if they are left unchecked they will over-eat trees and shrubs, destroying the natural habitat and setting themselves up for a mass starvation.
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Four Minnesota wolves were released on the island last autumn, but one died a short time later.
In February, a second wolf walked back to the mainland over an ice bridge that formed during the -60C Midwest polar vortex.
Scientists plan to bring in grey wolves from different packs in the US and Canada to boost genetic diversity and prevent inbreeding, which was blamed for the population slump.
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Footage from inside Chernobyl exclusion zone from where radiation-hit wolves are feared to have fled and spread mutant genes across Europe
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