Moose Browsing
Photo Credit: Wolf-Moose Project |
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Photo Credit: Wolf-Moose Project |
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Letter from the President |
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Jeffrey Holden, President of the Wolf-Moose Foundation, has been supporting the Wolf-Moose Project for over 20 years, leading Moosewatch groups in search of moose bones. He loves the island, rain or shine (though he prefers shine), and enjoys working with everyone involved in the Project. In real life, Jeff is a mild-mannered data professional in healthcare in southeast Michigan. |
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Welcome, everyone, to the newly named Wolf-Moose Foundation Newsletter—Predator Prey Press. We received quite a few name suggestions over the past several months—thank you to everyone who contributed. The Wolf-Moose supporter who suggested Predator Prey Press is Andrew Askew—thank you, Andrew. In this issue, we explore perceptions of different predators, those with a public relations problem, and how education can change public opinion. Articles in this issue touch on wolves, coyotes, and tigers.
By the time you read this newsletter, we will have completed two seminars in our three-part seminar series for this winter/spring. In February, Doug Smith, the long-time project leader for the Yellowstone Wolf Project, presented. And in March, Kristin Brzeski, co-director of The Gulf Coast Canine Project, discussed the Ghost Wolves of the Gulf Coast. Both were well attended, and we hope those of you who were able to see Doug and Kristin enjoyed their talks. Thank you again to Michigan Tech’s College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science for their help in hosting the seminar series.
The concluding seminar for this year is on April 8 and will feature Rolf Peterson. Rolf, long-time leader of Isle Royale’s Wolf-Moose Project, will discuss the wolves of Isle Royale. You can sign up for Rolf’s talk below. These talks are virtual and for members only – you can become a member during the signup for the talks.
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Last, in recognition of key donors in 2024, the Foundation commissioned a plaque to be displayed at Michigan Technological University. The plaque is proudly displayed on the wall outside the main offices and laboratory used by the Isle Royale Wolf Moose Project in Noblet Hall and lists Founding Members who contributed at the Platinum or Visionary level.
The plaque was designed and handmade by Dr. Joanna Walitalo, an artist local to the Houghton Michigan area, who specializes in pyrography (woodburning) using sustainably sourced materials. Joanna is also an alumni of MTU, having graduated with her PhD in Forest Science from the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science in 2023. The plaque is made from reclaimed maple and the wolf design along the bottom of the plaque is inspired by a photograph of a wolf pack crossing a frozen lake on Isle Royale taken by Dr. Rolf Peterson.
In addition to these donors, we’d like to recognize everyone who donated in 2024 and so far in 2025. We are grateful for your support. Moving forward, with the current challenging political climate, fundraising will be even more critical to the financial viability of the Wolf-Moose Project. The Project has long depended upon federal funds through the National Park Service as well as the National Science Foundation. In recent weeks both of these agencies have been hit with aggressive staff layoffs and budget cuts. Funding for the Project will likely be much reduced and could even be eliminated.
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Which makes the fundraising efforts of the Foundation key in providing financial stability for the Project. Again – thank you for your continued support! By Jeffrey Holden |
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The Science of Isle Royale |
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Ken Lemieux first visited Isle Royale in 2009. Despite a 36-hour storm, he was smitten and has returned several times. He began participating in Moosewatch in 2022. He’s a husband, father of three, tech writer, and lover of the outdoors. |
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The wolves of Isle Royale prefer to prey on old, sick, injured, or young moose. Weaker moose are easier for a wolf to take down than a moose in its prime and less likely to cause the wolf to be injured or killed in the encounter. Wolves are the only predators of moose on Isle Royale, and 90% of their kills are moose. Neither the forest nor moose have been harvested for over a century, and Isle Royale wolves have not been hunted or trapped since their arrival in the mid-20th century. |
| Injured Calf in Water Photo Credit: Rolf Peterson |
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East Pack Targets 15-Year-Old Cow With Arthritis, 1975 Photo Credit: Rolf Peterson |
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Osteoarthritis is a progressively crippling disease caused by the degeneration of cartilage in the joints. In humans and horses, the rate at which osteoarthritis progresses can vary significantly among individuals: in some cases, it may take several years before individuals develop severe forms of the disease; in other cases, rapid deterioration may occur in less than a year. The rate at which osteoarthritis progresses in moose may be similarly variable. Mostly, there is no way to check a living moose for osteoarthritis. Scientists can only examine their bones after the moose have died.
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Older moose are more likely to have severe forms of osteoarthritis. However, osteoarthritis can sometimes result from trauma or injury to joints, not just from genetics. With less mobility, a moose becomes more vulnerable and an easier target for a wolf. But what impact does this selective hunting by the wolves have on the overall health of the moose population? A study published in 2022 dove into this question, and the following is a summary.
This study used a database of necropsies, including information about the year of death, age, cause of death, and incidence of osteoarthritis for 1,571 moose dying over 47 years (1959-2007). The variation in wolf kill rates over time was also assessed with a subsequent incidence of osteoarthritis in the moose population over 33 years (1975-2007). For this study, only prime-age (1-9 years) or senescent (>9 years old) moose were included.
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Examples of Completed Necropsy Cards
Photo Credit: Wolf-Moose Project |
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The researchers classified osteoarthritis instances in moose as slight, moderate, or severe. Wolves strongly preferred senescent (older) moose and prime-age moose with severe osteoarthritis (compared to those without or with mild or moderate osteoarthritis). Older moose were targeted regardless of osteoarthritis as the results of aging increased their vulnerability. |
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Moose Pelvis with Severe Arthritis
Photo Credit: Rolf Peterson |
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Osteoarthritis is primarily a genetic disease. When the wolf population is large and healthy, the study suggests that more prime-age moose with osteoarthritis are removed from the population. The study suggests that wolf predation can act as a vital selective force against genes predisposing individuals to developing osteoarthritis at a young age. Furthermore, while
recreational hunting serves its own purposes, it is generally not a reasonable substitute for the
effects of wolf predation. As a Moosewatch participant, this study reinforced why studying the bones we collect for signs of osteoarthritis is essential. By Ken Lemieux
This research was published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 19 April 2022 Sec. Conservation and Restoration Ecology Volume 10 - 2022
The title of the study is:
The Role of Wolves in Regulating a Chronic Non-communicable Disease, Osteoarthritis, in Prey Populations Authored by: Sarah R. Hoy, John A. Vucetich, and Rolf O. Peterson |
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Candy Peterson Inventories Moose Bones, 1970 Photo Credit: Rolf Peterson |
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Coyote Danger: Fact vs. Fiction |
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| Meredith Dennis is a former wildlife technician and forever wildlife enthusiast. She participated in Moosewatch in 2013 and now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with her fiancé, Mike and cat, Luna. |
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It is important to recognize that people's experiences with coyotes can vary widely based on their location, lifestyle, and past encounters. In my own case ... Well-Meaning Neighbor: “I’m sure you already know about coyote breeding season. I worry about my cat Nalah…I had a cat that did get [b]it by a coyote. My cousin is a big coyote hunter. I want him to come hunt some of them in the mountains, but at the same time I feel horrible about it…” Me: “I used to haze coyotes at my last job. They’re pretty easy to chase off and they’re virtually never aggressive, but they are really smart and if they’re used to hunting cats that can make it harder to deter them. If you see one in the neighborhood let me know and I’ll try to scare it off :)” Well-Meaning Neighbor: “Ok! In Anthem [Park] not long ago, a pack attacked a great dane! When a guy was walking the dog.”
These are the exact words my new neighbor emailed to me not long after I moved to a suburb of Las Vegas. As a former wildlife technician in some of the country’s most popular public lands, I had no fear of coyotes,.
As I adjusted to life in Las Vegas I was surprised, perhaps naively so, to find that my neighbor’s attitude toward predators was common. While I never found evidence for the alleged “great dane attack,” I wondered whether data would support my neighbor’s fear of coyotes. Right away I discovered some challenges to understanding this complex issue. |
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Challenges with Predator-Human Interaction Data: |
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Non-Standardized Record Keeping: When cities do collect and publicly report human-coyote interactions, the data is often inconsistent across counties and states.
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Lack of Precise Terminology: Did a coyote rush out of the woods and bite a child unprovoked? Or did an off-leash dog corner a coyote with pups, prompting a defensive bite from the adult? Distinguishing between predatory and defensive bites is crucial for understanding risks and preventing future incidents.
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Ignorance of Wildlife Behavior: Even with precise terminology, the general public often struggles to distinguish between a real threat and a predator merely existing.
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| Coyote, Springs Preserve Photo Credit: Victor Haldana |
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Humans and Coyotes: Despite these confounding variables, there are a few windows of clarity. The
Urban Coyote Research Project was established in 2000 to better understand coyote ecology in the Chicago area. The project has GPS collared 446 coyotes in the greater Chicago area and studies their movements to understand their interactions with humans.
Notably, only 14 of the 446 collared coyotes (3.1%) have been reported as “nuisance” animals by the community; a term that invariably includes a range of behaviors. |
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Additional findings by the Urban Coyote Research Project: |
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- Coyotes consistently avoid human interaction, regardless of sex, activity preference (daytime or nighttime), or how much human development exists in their home range.
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Coyotes in urban environments tend to be more active at night, a behavior interpreted by biologists as a coyote strategy to avoid humans.
- Most coyotes feed on natural prey items (ex., rabbits and rodents) while avoiding human trash and pets.
- Feeding coyotes leads to habituation, a tolerance to human presence, which leads to negative encounters with humans.
- Coyote populations pose no serious human health risks. Despite being exposed to a wide range of zoonotic diseases, coyote populations appear to be generally healthy.
- A small proportion of coyotes exhibit behavior dangerous enough to warrant termination.
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Despite these findings, Chicago residents rated coyotes as the most dangerous animal to human health and safety in 2001. Aside from two non-fatal coyote attacks in 2020, the city hadn’t reported an attack in more than 30 years by 2001.
Interestingly, the number of articles about human-coyote conflicts increased 20-fold in the Chicago area between 1985-2006. This explosion in media coverage, despite a relative lack of incidents, may reflect, at a larger scale, what I experienced with my neighbor; an intense interest in a relatively uncommon, perhaps exotic-seeming, threat. |
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Coyote, Death Valley
Photo Credit: Victor Haldana |
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Coyotes vs. Dogs: The more research I did on coyote attacks the more I realized comparing their “danger level” with another well-known canine (i.e., domestic dogs) helped paint a fuller picture. Two people have been killed by coyotes in the United States and Canada, that we know of, ever. Domestic dogs kill between 30-50 people in the United States every year, according to the CDC, and the trend is going up.
Remember when I said Chicago had two non-fatal coyote attacks in 2020? Well they’ve reported over 1,000 domestic dog bites each year since 2019, according to the Chicago-Sun Times.
Zooming out from Chicago, a study from Ohio State University examined verified coyote bite reports between 1960-2006 in the United States and Canada and found 142 reports which produced 159 victims. These reports only included coyote bites and excluded lesser injuries, like scratches. So, while not zero, the numbers still pale in comparison to dog bites. |
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Pets and Coyotes:
To return to my neighbor’s original concern: pet deaths. Those numbers are much harder to nail down, as it is impossible to determine the exact cause of every missing pet, and, even if the cause were known, no one appears to be tracking those numbers in a consistent and verifiable way. I acknowledge too, that a pet death by a predator would be incredibly upsetting.
It’s important to point out that human populations are increasing and expanding further into coyote habitat. So regardless of what the statistics are now, it’s safe to assume the number of predated pets will, unfortunately, go up.
For any questions or concerns about wildlife in your area, it’s best to consult your state’s wildlife agency for specific guidance. For those in Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources provides recommendations on various mammals, along with a webpage dedicated specifically to coyotes.
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Conclusion:
With the extirpation of wolves and grizzly bears from most of the lower 48, coyotes have become the largest predator most Americans encounter with any regularity. Sadly, they suffer from a pervasive human belief in their dangerousness, despite evidence to the contrary. Research from the Urban Coyote Project suggests that coyotes do not regularly predate pets, and data gathered from the US and Canada shows coyotes to be downright innocuous to human health, especially compared to domestic dogs.
My Meredith Dennis |
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Coyote Photo Credit: Amanda Griggs |
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Can People Live with Tigers? |
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Rolf Peterson began leading the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project in the early 1970s and is recognized as a world authority on wolves and moose. Since retiring as a professor in 2006, he has devoted even more time to the project, now spending more of the year on Isle Royale than on the mainland. Rolf remains captivated by the island’s ever-unfolding scientific insights and surprises. |
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Rolf Peterson reviews an important recent scientific paper.
What do tigers in India have to do with the Wolf-Moose Foundation? When the Foundation was established, broad goals were set out in the mission statement: Our mission is to advance research and education that promotes the conservation of predators and their prey, especially the wolves and moose of Isle Royale. We envision a world where humans and predators flourish. The example of tigers and people sharing parts of the landscape in India, in the face of what might seem to be insurmountable problems, provides much food for thought.
Biologist Y.V. Jhala visited Isle Royale in August 1987 when he was a Ph.D. student researching wolves in his native India. He and I had one day in the field when we walked across the east end of Isle Royale, seeing a couple of moose along the way. Jhala commented that if we had walked that far through a reserve in India, we would have observed hundreds of hoofed animals. The comparison between the animal-scarce north temperate zone and the highly biodiverse tropical zone was telling, but the cultural, social, and political differences are even more stark.
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Now Jhala is a distinguished leader of tiger recovery in India. Together with several co-authors, he recently published a major article in Science entitled “Tiger recovery amid people and poverty” (31 January 2025, pages 505-509), offering hope for coexistence between large carnivores and people.
Importantly, the tiger is considered the national animal of India, imbued with a degree of reverence that underlies a strong political commitment to enhancing its survival, as well as improving the lives of some 60 million people living in areas of tiger recovery, where extreme poverty and armed conflict contribute to social instability. Critical to tiger recovery have been programs to foster public acceptance, including increasing the socio-economic well-being of people and promoting political stability in areas of tiger recovery. These programs have included measures familiar in wealthy countries, such as compensation for livestock losses and translating tourism dollars into local benefits. All told, while easily stated, these are steep challenges.
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With a human population of 1.4 billion, where can tigers possibly survive in India? Often-stated dogma argues that large carnivores cannot overlap with areas of human settlement—the conflicts are simply too great. But Jhala and his co-authors demonstrate the importance of both land sparing, where tiger reserves exclude people, and land sharing, where people and predators coexist in areas often adjacent to reserved lands.
Impossible though it might seem, tiger occupancy increased by 30% over the past two decades, as indicated by field surveys involving 44,000 people throughout India every four years. Of course, tigers thrived in reserves (areas totaling 35,255 square km), where their security was prioritized. But tigers also came to occupy over 100,000 square km that are home to 60 million people. Tiger recovery stalled or was reversed where there was armed conflict, increased urbanization, and resource extraction—especially where connections to tiger reserves were infrequent. Tiger increases were associated with improved socioeconomic conditions and political stability.
Other species often thrive along with tigers, an umbrella effect of carnivore conservation. Where tigers survive best, there must be wild prey animals such as spotted deer, sambar deer, swamp deer, and gaur. Other megafauna that benefit include the Asian elephant, leopard, dhole, and sloth bear. Ecosystem effects include improved resistance to the establishment of non-native species and increased carbon sequestration from native plant communities.
Human tolerance and motivation for conservation lie at the heart of tiger recovery. India now supports the largest tiger population of any country. Cautiously optimistic, Jhala et al. write, “The human attitude toward biodiversity, particularly large carnivores such as the tiger, is based on cultural acceptance as well as economic benefits; the latter requires meticulous governance, and the former requires conscious nurturing.”
By Rolf Peterson |
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Carolyn "Candy" Peterson's contributions to the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project span over five decades. She’s been a field assistant, logistics expert, writer and educator, and she’s raised a family on Isle Royale. Candy enjoys park visitors, not only to share research findings but also to restore people’s faith in the human animal. |
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We Need More Than Good Science |
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It will take more than good science to improve relationships between wolves and humans. Accurate information and openness in sharing it are important traditions of the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project. Scientific fact is the first casualty in disagreements. Winston Churchill wisely quipped, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” Rolf thinks that, other than ourselves, wolves are the most difficult species with which we humans deal, especially when our economic interests are involved.
Debates about wolf hunts, Endangered Species status, livestock depredation, etc., often become heated, even nasty. Because wolves arouse strong emotions that seem impervious to knowledge, we are probably still dealing with instinctive fear, deep in our collective psyche. Fear can so easily morph into unreasonable scapegoating and violent hatred. It doesn’t have to be this way. In Bangladesh, tigers inhabit the mangrove forests that protect the coastline. People who live near those forests accept the fact that tigers occasionally eat people, so they stay out of the mangrove areas. How different it is here in the U.S., where many people want to eliminate all predators so that they (and livestock) can feel safe everywhere.
In a blog about wolf hunts, someone asked, “Have you ever noticed that those who are most afraid of wolves are the ones with the guns?” Perhaps, greater than the fear of the wolf is the fear of losing control, and having guns seems a potent antidote. Unlike wolves on the mainland, Isle Royale’s wolves do not compete with human hunters, nor do they threaten hunters or the gun lobby. Amazingly, the NRA gave monetary support to the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project in the 1970s, when the organization had a conservation division.
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In the 1930s and 1940s, before wolves came to the island, Adolf and Olaus Murie, Aldo Leopold, and Sigurd Olson all advised the NPS to bring wolves to Isle Royale to control the island’s out-of-control moose population. Wheels turned slowly then, too, and before any action was undertaken, wolves came on their own across an ice bridge in 1948 or 1949. | | Ice Bridge Forms Between Canada and Isle Royale
Photo Credit: Wolf-Moose Project |
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The island’s wolves have taught people around the world how predators maintain the health of an ecosystem that includes a large ungulate. Since wolves arrived in the late 1940s, visitors have enjoyed the experience of peaceful coexistence with a species that once occupied the entire Northern Hemisphere. Many visitors to Isle Royale said the island felt different and a bit sad when wolves were no longer thriving. Since 2018, the island is once again a place where we humans can feel good about ourselves because we recognized a problem and did what we thought was right to solve it.
In a recent essay, The Ultimate Miracle Worker, Jalala Bonheim (pp. 265–268 in Hope Beneath Our Feet, edited by Martin Keogh, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, 2010) describes the process involved in becoming a butterfly. Inside the chrysalis, the old caterpillar cells degenerate while a few “imaginal cells” form. The old cells fight like crazy to kill the new ones, but the newcomers simply focus their energy on the future, proceeding in faith that good things lie ahead, wasting no energy fighting the old cells. A person who leads a good life—one characterized not only by compassion, gratitude, generosity, and justice but also by courage, hope, and a commitment to truth—becomes one of these imaginal cells, quietly going forward with faith that all will be well.
By Candy Peterson | |
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Monarch on Common Milkweed
Photo Credit: Amanda Griggs |
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Wolves Gather Around a Bone Photo Credit: Wolf-Moose Project |
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We're grateful to everyone who attended the earlier talks by Dr. Doug Smith and Dr. Kristin Brzeski and are thrilled to announce the final seminar in this round of the Wolf-Moose Foundation Seminar Series. Join us as Dr. Rolf Peterson, from the Wolf-Moose Project and Wolf-Moose Foundation, shares his insights on the wolves of Isle Royale. |
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Rolf Peterson began leading the wolf moose project in the early 1970s. He is a world authority on wolves and moose. After retiring as a professor in 2006, he began to devote even more time to the Wolf-Moose Project, and now spends more time on Isle Royale than on the mainland. Rolf continues to be fascinated by the scientific insights and surprises that the island provides. |
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Registration Now Open for Rolf Peterson’s Talk!
Seating is reserved for Wolf-Moose Foundation members—secure your spot today! |
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Priority "seating" will be given to Foundation Members for all talks and presentations. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with leading experts and dive deeper into the fascinating research taking place on Isle Royale and beyond! Become a member today by making a donation through the link below. Time and access details will be sent out to Foundation members closer to each event. |
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As spring approaches, so does moose birthing season. On Isle Royale, cow-calf pairs will soon emerge, marking the start of a critical time for the island’s moose population |
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Cow and Young-of-the-Year Calf Photo Credit: Wolf-Moose Project |
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Welcome to our "In the News" section, where we bring you the latest updates and fascinating stories on a wide array of topics. From wolves, moose, and Isle Royale to scientific discoveries and beyond, we curate a diverse collection of articles and news items. This section highlights important developments and insights related to our ongoing work and other groundbreaking projects across the globe. Stay informed and inspired with the latest from the world of wildlife, conservation, science, and more.
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A Snowshoe Hare Pauses at Bansund Cabin Photo Credit: Rolf Peterson |
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| The Wolf-Moose Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable nonprofit organization.
Our Federal Tax Identification Number is 93-4654981. |
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