Winter is a good time to view animal tracks.
There is nothing like seeing an enormous wolf forepaw printed in the snow. The forepaws are larger – there is then an image created of our largest carnivore in the wild.
Better still when you see a fleeting one in real time.
If you find yourself asking, “Was that a wolf or coyote or what?” The answer is complex, and we are as curious as the Canidae are.
And in part centres on this policy. The provincial conservation goal for wolves in Ontario is “To ensure ecologically sustainable wolf populations and the ecosystems on which they rely for the continuous ecological, social, cultural and economic benefit of the people of Ontario.”
A good deal of time is spent on the back roads. Years ago, I helped Dr. John Theberge, University of Waterloo, with his longitudinal wolf study, the book is entitled ‘Wolf Country.’ As a member representing the public I was appointed to the provincial wolf advisory group in 1998, now defunct. We know about the predator-prey relationship in nature, but when humans become involved, there is a great deal of polarization. In this wolf primer, what are we really looking at? We need to hear from different perspectives. Hybridization is a factor.
Science research
How many wolves are there in Ontario?
Ontario is home to two wolf species: the Great Lakes (aka gray) wolf and the eastern wolf – once called the Algonquin wolf but no longer.
The gray is the most common and is found across boreal regions of the province and up into the Hudson Bay lowlands. Eastern wolves live mainly in central Ontario and beyond.
In 2015, Eastern wolves were classified as threatened in Canada and in 2016, they received the same threatened status provincially.
Through the Ministry of Natural Resource’s (MNR) media protocol, scientist Brent Patterson was contacted.
He has been a research scientist with the Wildlife Research & Monitoring Section in Peterborough since August 2001. He is also an adjunct professor at Trent University with the Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate Program. Prior to joining the Ontario MNR, he worked for three years as a Regional Biologist for the Government of Nunavut in the Canadian Arctic.
“During the mid to late 2000s, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) conducted surveys to estimate the provincial population size. Although those surveys have not been repeated, MNR monitors wolf numbers by tracking the sightings by hunters each autumn," Patterson said. "In 2024, it is estimated that there were between 8,500 and 9,500 wolves in Ontario.
Then it was asked, “What is the state of wolf research in Ontario, any recent findings?
“The MNR continues to collect and analyze genetic samples from canids in the province to better understand the origins of the threatened eastern wolf and to refine estimates of their distribution and population size.
“Recent genetic data analyzed for eastern wolves, coyotes and Great Lakes wolves indicates that despite some hybridization with coyotes and Great Lakes wolves, Eastern wolves found in Ontario today owe about 2/3 of their genome to the historic eastern wolf. This represents unique genetic material that is not found in coyote or Great Lakes wolf populations and would not be recoverable if eastern wolves were lost from the landscape.”
The MNR has also been assessing connectivity for wolves among protected areas in the province and has been studying factors that promote or inhibit connectivity among wolf populations. “Not surprisingly, connectivity is improved for wolves during winter when they can easily travel long distances along or across frozen lakes and rivers.”
Researchers with the MNR have also been examining the feeding habits of both eastern and Great Lakes wolves to better understand their effects on major prey species (deer, moose and beaver).
He said, “Where both moose and deer are found, wolves prefer to prey on deer as they are much easier to catch and less risky to kill. Most predation on moose is on young (primarily calf) and very old or otherwise impaired moose. Nonetheless, predation and harvest by humans are largely additive so the two factors combined can suppress moose populations under some circumstances. In areas with good habitat and ample water, wolves generally have little effect on beaver abundance.”
What about coyotes? “The range of the Eastern wolf (formerly Algonquin wolf) is largely restricted to Algonquin Provincial Park plus surrounding areas, including an area from Killarney Provincial Park south to the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site. There is no evidence of breeding wolves south of the Canadian Shield in Ontario.”
In southern Ontario, the most common canid is the eastern coyote. Patterson stated, “Owing to their smaller body size and more flexible diet, coyote abundance across southern Ontario is an order of magnitude (i.e. 10 X) greater than wolf abundance in northern and central Ontario. Although we know they are generally abundant where they occur, the MNR does not have an estimate of the provincial population size for coyotes.” (Because of their adaptability, there is now a burgeoning population - urban coyotes they are termed - municipalities in southern Ontario issue public fact sheets like this one in London. There was a court case about a coyote hunting contest.)
You can download a .pdf that Patterson co-authored about ‘Dispelling myths about the origins of wolf-coyote hybrids and related Canis species in Ontario - in The Canadian Naturalist, an excellent overview when you encounter the coyote colloquial terms like “brush wolf,” “coy dogs,” “song dog” and “little wolf.”
Wild fur
Mark Downey is the Chief Executive Officer of the Fur Harvesters Auction Inc. in North Bay and has been a fur harvester for more than 40 years and at the helm for almost 25 years.
The fur auction history in North Bay goes back to 1947, and the current business is the largest wild fur auction house in the world. (It is a fascinating tour, and I have taken students there countless times. Trappers really know wildlife behaviour.)
“I’ve lost track of how many articles, seminars, workshops and presentations I have done and been part of regarding wolves,” he said.
“There are a few physiological differences between the gray wolf and the Eastern wolf. Differentiating between the two in the wild can be difficult, however. Gray wolves are much larger than the Eastern wolf. The gray wolf of northern Canada can weigh up to 200 lbs., whereas a large eastern wolf would top the scales at around 100 lbs.,” he said.
“Gray wolves in northern Ontario can easily push the 150 lbs. mark. As we move south from northern Ontario into areas such as New Liskeard, North Bay and Huntsville, the average size of the wolves is smaller. This overlap is where it becomes difficult to distinguish a gray wolf from an eastern wolf. To say by looking at a wolf if it is a gray wolf or not is impossible. The only true way then would be through genetic testing. The massive influx of coyotes into the population of wolves in central Ontario during the last few hundred years has created the eastern wolf. This type of animal can now be found across Ontario, Quebec and into the Maritimes.”
He said gray wolves have a more squared snout, larger feet and longer legs than its eastern cousin. Eastern wolves tend to have a more slender, pointed snout due to the hybridization with coyotes. “As far as colour is concerned, both types of wolves can have the same colour characteristics. Eastern wolves are ‘tawny’ or brownish in colour. This is the best-suited camouflage for their boreal forest ecosystem.” The further north the wolves are found the lighter their fur becomes, to the almost pure white wolves in the tundra of Northern Canada. Eastern wolves rarely have this lighter fur colour.”
Mark said, “We continue to sell thousands of wolves and coyotes through the auction, but with Canada goose having dropped the fur on their parkas provinces like Alberta are putting bounties back on (not so in Ontario).
He said about coyotes. “Due to growing numbers and predation issues, as well I'm hearing of escalating attacks on humans and pets in areas of greater Toronto and how they are planning to deal with this issue.”
The Fur Harvesters Auction continues to supply marketing services to over 25,000 North American trappers, both Indigenous and non Indigenous. “It is fifty percent Indigenous owned and sells furs to the world's fur manufacturers of China, Korea, Russia, Italy, Greece and several other manufacturing countries.
“No one loves to hear wolves howl more than me, and all seasoned outdoorsmen know mother nature is a cruel option in comparison to the highly regulated trapping standards that exist and enforced in Ontario today.”
Anglers and hunters
What do hunters think?
Mark Ryckman, is the Manager of Policy for Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH). OFAH has “a passion for conservation and the traditions of fishing and hunting,” since 1928. With more than 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 740 member clubs, the OFAH has a voice with regards to hunting wolves.
The OFAH’s position on wolf and coyote management in Ontario hasn’t really changed since 2018. We continue to be concerned about hunting and trapping prohibitions, the likelihood of eastern wolf recovery, and the management of wolves and coyotes as a single species in northern Ontario.
He said, “The provincial wolf population is healthy and likely increasing based on anecdotal observations from hundreds of hunters and trappers across central and northern Ontario.
The OFAH continues to push for liberalization of wolf and coyote hunting in northern Ontario where they are, illogically, managed as a single species; we convinced the provincial government to consider removing the game seal requirement for hunters in the north where canid populations are very healthy, but the government rescinded the proposal due to significant opposition.
He said the most significant issue among hunters and trappers is the ban on hunting and trapping of all canids in several portions of central Ontario to protect the Eastern wolf. “This ban has significant impacts on our hunting and trapping heritage and will do nothing to recover wolf populations.
He stated, “The greatest long-term threat to Eastern wolves is the unhindered expansion of coyote populations and subsequent hybridization between the two. Protection of coyotes (under the hunting and trapping ban) will hinder the recovery of Eastern wolves because there is no available space for wolves to disperse into and establish themselves. We are also concerned that the government will expand protections for Eastern wolves across an even broader area of central Ontario where the habitat is no longer suitable to support wolves.”
Wildlife rescue
Then there was the question of orphaned or injured wolves/coyotes.
The Ontario Wildlife Rescue (OWR) connects the public who have found injured or orphaned animals with the 50 wildlife rescue centres across Ontario (there were formerly about 200); there is no government funding for these centres—they exist primarily on donations.
Volunteer spokesperson Sandy Donald said OWR helps with wildlife rescue centres across the province with food, medical supplies, raising funds and finding veterinarians.
From his experience, “Coyotes have become extremely adaptable, especially in urban environments.” Akin to Wile E. Coyote the cartoon character renowned for his relentless pursuit of the Road Runner. His own journey started in 2006 when an orphaned raccoon was rescued.
He explained they exist not in packs but are more solitary or in small family units.
“They are so aware that live trapping them is almost impossible; they have been known to trigger the traps with sticks.”
There are a number of rehab centres that take in coyotes.
He then referenced the wolf experts - the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary near Rousseau.
If you would like to see some wolves, through a tour, this is an opportunity.
The rehabilitation centre has been in existence since the early 1970s. It started as the passion of one woman – Audrey Tournay – a high school teacher from Parry Sound She was well known for her love of animals. Since taking in her first orphaned raccoon. Their motto is to “keep wildlife wild.”
They have six wolves at the sanctuary named Aurora, Chance, Timber, Taiga, North, and Willow. After authorities closed it down, these gray wolves came to Aspen Valley in June 2019 from a roadside zoo in Quebec.
From the website: “ Before arriving at Aspen Valley, the adult wolves were joined by pups. Aurora, the dominant (or breeding) female, is their mother. Typically, only the breeding (or dominant) pair in a wolf pack will produce pups. Because they were born in captivity, the pups can never be released into the wild.
“To avoid further offspring, all the males have been neutered. It should be noted that Aspen Valley does not buy, breed, or sell wildlife.
“In the wild, wolf packs have highly sophisticated social orders. They have complex social hierarchies that are maintained through various vocalizations, body postures, and scent markings. The six wolves in care are therefore divided into packs living near one another. This poses some challenges because packs are typically territorial in the wild and would likely not be in such close proximity were they not in captivity.
“Funds are currently being raised to increase the size of each pack’s enclosure. Their animal care team has been researching and collaborating with other wolf sanctuaries in North America to create an environment for the wolves that is as close to living in the wild as possible.
(You can also see wolves in captivity at the Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre and the unique Sleeping With The Wolves program in Timmins. At the Toronto Zoo, there is a pack of Arctic wolves.)
Seeing a wolf or having the opportunity to take a photo remains rare enough. We are drawn to Nature – both in real time and through different mediums.
It was an honour to have an original wildlife painting completed from inspiration on the back roads not so far away on the back roads.