Many years ago the word 'wolf' conjured up the image of a snarling vicious clawed beast. Tourist attractions in Ontario include wolf hunts for American hunters beginning at $2,000 weekly for the opportunity to take down the coveted wolf. Outside of the tourist business though the concept of wolf has changed as more and more people and specialists realize that the wolf is an important part of the eco-system.

The Algonquin Park Wolf is a unique species. Research indicates that they are not a subspecies of Grey Wolf , but are a distinct species of wolf, closely related to the now endangered Red Wolf.

There are approximately 150-175 wolves at the end of the winter in Algonquin Park.
The Algonquin wolves eat moose, deer, and beaver. The average lifespan of the Algonquin wolf is 2-3 years.

Until recently there have been virtually no legal restrictions on shooting or trapping Algonquin wolves when they leave the park. Wolves often leave the sanctity of the park to follow the movement of deer outside the park. Two thirds of wolf deaths are human-caused. They are shot, snared, and trapped; others are hit by cars.

Jim Meness, Councillor for the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn and member of the Algonquin Wolf Advisory Group said, “The Algonquin wolf is important because it is a part of the ecosystem of the park and should remain part of the park.” The biggest threat to the wolf in the park is not natural. “There are no natural predators in the park. Man is the only predator,” Jim added. Man’s interference in the park is the greatest threat to the park, the wolves and the entire ecosystem of the park.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada designated the eastern wolf a species of Special Concern - a risk category that indicates the status of the population should be carefully monitored. Algonquin Park is the largest protected area for the eastern wolf in North America.

Algonquin Law states that "No Algonquin shall injure or kill any fauna that is protected under the Ontario Endangered Species Act." Standardly held Algonquin belief is that, wildlife species shall be limited to game normally taken for food and shall exclude rare, threatened and endangered species, and shall also exclude wolves and loons.

The Ontario government recently banned the hunting and trapping of wolves in and around Algonquin Park. Regulation took effect December 20, 2001.

Much of the above information on the Algonquin Wolf was compiled from: http://www.cpaws-ov.org/algonquinwolves/FAQ.htm

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