Wolves Could Be Making Return To Illinois

By Staff in Miscellaneous on Mar 20, 2010 6:30PM

Recently, a trail camera caught an image of a wolf on tape, and now it is likely that this is proof of a wolf in Illinois, something of a rarity. A man named Bob Coine had posted a picture of this furry animal on his website after one of his friends sent him the image. After a handful of wildlife experts and wildlife biologists deliberated over the image, many believe that this animal is, indeed, a wolf. Although the only way to make sure a wolf is purebred is through DNA testing, even this photo spreads hope that the wolf population in Illinois is rebounding.

Timber wolves, like the one posted by Coine, are thought to have disappeared from Illinois sometime before the 20th century and are more commonly spotted in northern states around Illinois. Various other types of wolves have shown their faces in Chicago and other areas in Illinois within the past decade, but these wolves have either been mistaken for coyotes and killed or have been one-time wanderers that are never seen again. The earliest confirmed wolf that was shot and killed was in 2002, as it is easy to mix-up coyotes with wolves. While it is legal to hunt coyotes, it is illegal to hunt wolves since they are endangered and federally-and-state-protected.

As long as lions, tigers, and bears don't all come out of hiding in tandem with these wolves, other Illinois wildlife (and human life) will most likely remain under control.

Post by: Soyoung Kwak