Admissions at Northland
The Wolves of Ontario
Ontario's vast and diverse landscape is home to a healthy
population of wolves, estimated at 8,000-9,000 animals. Wolves
are present throughout most of Ontario; they have been absent
from developed southernmost Ontario since European settlement.
The population is considered to be healthy, and a small annual
harvest is sustainable.
Both Canis lupus dentalis and Canis lupus lycaon occur in Ontario. Recently published genetic (DNA) research indicates that the closest relative of the C. l. lycaon, commonly know as the Eastern Wolf, is the endangered Red Wolf of the southeastern U.S. These geneticists have proposed that both wolves be recognized as part of a new wolf species (Canis lycaon) that evolved independently of the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) and is more closely related to the Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans). A genetic evaluation of the distribution of the Gray Wolf, the Eastern Wolf and the Eastern Coyote across Ontario is currently underway.
Wolves are classified as Furbearing Mammals and are protected under Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. Wolves can be harvested under a trapper's license and a license to hunt small game. An average of 557 wolves were harvested annually between 1990/1991 and 2000/01, mostly by trappers. On December 20, 2001, Ontario prohibited wolf hunting and trapping in 39 townships around Algonquin Provincial Park until June 30, 2004, to protect park wolves when they leave the protection of the park. This moratorium is part of a broad management strategy to address concerns about the possibility of a decline in wolves in the park, the largest protected area for C. l. lycaon in North America. Predation on livestock by wolves is rare. Private landowners are allowed to kill problem wolves in defense of property.