A Minnesota wolf-advocacy group has advice for the National Park Service, which plans to release 20 to 30 wolves on Isle Royale to try to re-establish a population which has dwindled to just a father and his daughter. Doctor Maureen Hackett with “Howling for Wolves” says currently *captive* wolves should be released on Isle Royale. “We can understand their lineage better, we can know what their disease potential is, we can understand their genetics and we don’t have to randomly capture wild wolves and risk breaking up pack families,” she says.
Hackett acknowledges captive wolves will likely need time and outside support to re-adapt to the wild. But she says in a world of endangered species, “re-wilding” captive animals is an important part of conservation.