Until recently, not a lot of information was known about local wolves and coyotes. Biologist Steven Kell and his research team with Shawanaga First Nation's species at risk program are working hard to fill this gap, he recently explained to the Parry Sound Nature Club.
Two years ago, Steve and his team began by respectfully asking Shawanaga First Nation members to share the cultural and spiritual importance of wolves in the eastern Georgian Bay area. They also learned what the members knew and wanted to know from this study.
On the ground, Steve and his team collected and analyzed 120 samples of genetic material from canid mucus, poo and urine as well as tissues left behind in abandoned dens and kill sites. They also set baits to attract wolves, put temporary radio tracking collars on them, and observed wolf packs from the air by helicopter.
The Eastern Georgian Bay region has three distinct types of canids—the coyote, the Great Lake wolf, and the Algonquin, or eastern, wolf. Coyotes were in this region first but as historical logging disrupted wolves’ natural habitats, Great Lakes wolves began to move in from northern Ontario and Algonquin wolves moved in from the east.
“All of these fast and smart animals interbreed, resulting in hybrid species such as coywolves,” he added. “We are interested in learning more about all of them, especially the Algonquin wolf, which is a species at risk.”
The Eastern Georgian Bay region – from Parry Sound to Britt is home to eight different wolf packs. Each has their own territory and actively patrol the edges of their territories. Six of the packs are in the southern areas, while two packs run in the north. All the territories tend to run along linear corridors such as hydro lines, the 400/69 highway corridor, or the coast.
Packs can include up to five animals but on average include only three wolves—a male, female and a young wolf. Their natural mortality rate is 30-40 percent. The Great Lake Wolf, the largest of the canid species in the area, can hunt animals as large as moose. Coyotes and Algonquin wolves commonly prey on beaver and other small mammals.
This data and the findings to come will provide the information necessary to protect wolves.
“Our research will inform future conservation strategies, says Kell, “ensuring the protection of all these species within our shared landscapes.”
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