×

Isle Royale calls for fiscal, moral responsibility

The wolves of Isle Royale are disappearing, and there is an ongoing debate about what should or can be done about it.

In animal rights issues like this, what is right or responsible is often set up against with what is economically sound.

According to Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, and his book The Humane Economy: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers are Transforming the Lives of Animals, animal rights and practical human economic needs do not have to be at odds with each other.

Pacelle says he has “a vision of a society where being kind to animals is not only morally right, but also the fiscally responsible thing to do.”

The Humane Society of the United States is the largest U.S. animal rights organization, and according to Pacelle, it is the organization’s responsibility to consider the needs of animals and their desire to avoid pain and suffering, just like humans do.

Pacelle said the Isle Royale wolf population is the perfect example of fiscal and moral responsibility aligning because the Upper Peninsula, and specifically the Keweenaw Peninsula, is full of port-based communities that rely heavily on tourism and mills generated by the public lands system.

Pacelle said Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is very dependent on its natural resources, and Isle Royale is part of that equation and the UP economic brand.

A key part of that system, Pacelle said, is Isle Royale. The isle’s wolf population has drawn tourists for years. Pacelle said the wolves are the main characters in a long running drama, and if they are out of the picture, the experiential value of Isle Royale would be significantly diminished, which would in turn harm the economy of surrounding communities.

However, the novelty of the wolf population isn’t the only reason they are important to Isle Royale. Without wolves to keep the moose population in check, the moose will eat all the vegetation they can reach, which would impact the bird population, increase erosion and ultimately hurt the forest’s health. Wolves also pick off the weakest moose, leading to a healthier, stronger population rather than just a larger one. In short, no wolves means an unbalanced and unhealthy ecosystem. An unhealthy Isle Royale means fewer tourists, and, Pacelle said, there is not a big margin of error in the area; with mining and forestry receding, it is important to maintain and grow other industries like tourism.

If the wolf population on Isle Royale is really so important, that leaves the question of how to save it from extinction, and how it got to be so low in the first place.

Pacelle said the population decrease is largely due to inbreeding. As the climate changes, the winter ice bridge from Isle Royale to Canada has melted, which means no new genes coming to the island. Pacelle said this is where human moral responsibility comes in, as it is human action that has lead to the change in climate.

Other human factors that have harmed the wolf population include mine shafts and parvo virus brought in with domestic dogs.

In general, Pacelle said, the Natural Parks Service has a natural regulation policy, but that does not mean an entirely hands-off approach, especially when human actions have a significant impact on an ecosystem. Humans hurt the wolf population, he said, and humans must give it a helping hand.

Pacelle has proposed what he calls an elegant solution to the problem relocating unwanted wolves from the U.P. to Isle Royale. This would bring new genetic material to the isle and remove the threat to livestock, so local farmers would not need to shoot wolves. Pacelle said wolves could also be brought in from Canada, but that brings up the sticky political issue of moving live, wild animals from one country to another.

Pacelle said while U.P. wolves mostly hunt deer, scientists have said they should easily transition to hunting larger game like moose.

A solution like this is not unprecedented. When the Florida panther population was threatened by inbreeding, cougars were brought in from Texas. The new genetic material was a huge help to the population, Pacelle said.

The debate over what can and should be done about Isle Royale is ongoing, and in the mean time the wolf population continues to shrink. However, as long as there is one male and one female on the island, there is hope.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today