MichiganRadio

Isle Royale Wolves Suffering From Inbreeding UNDATED (Associated Press) -

Scientists say gray wolves at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan are suffering from bone deformities caused by inbreeding.

Biologists who have tracked the relationship between wolves and moose on the isolated Lake Superior island for 51 years say they've only recently discovered the genetic deterioration of vertebrae in the wolves, although it apparently has been happening for a long time.

Project leader John Vucetich of Michigan Technological University in Houghton said Thursday the find raises the question of whether scientists should bring outside wolves to the island to dilute the gene pool.

A small number of wolves crossed to the island from the mainland in the late 1940s and established a population that now consists of 24 animals in four packs.
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