A hunter reported he harvested or killed a large animal in Calhoun County during a legal coyote hunt back in January. But now, subsequent genetic tests by the Michigan Department of Natural resources revealed the animal to be a gray wolf.
The DNR says in a news release that Michigan’s known wolf population is located in the Upper Peninsula. The department continues to search for wolves in the Lower Peninsula but has found only a few signs of wolf presence in that part of Michigan since the state’s wolf population became reestablished in the 1980s.
The presence of this wolf in Calhoun County remains a matter of investigation by the DNR.
The public, they say, does not need to be concerned about broader wolf presence in the county or the Lower Peninsula.
Brian Roell, large carnivore specialist for the DNR says quote, "This is an unusual case, and the DNR is actively delving into the matter to learn more about this particular animal's origin” End quote.
Wolves in Michigan, meantime, are currently an endangered species by federal court order. Wolves can be killed only if they are a direct and immediate threat to human life.
