It finally happened one week ago on September 26, 2018----"A female wolf, along with a five-year old male, are the first part of a broader effort to relocate 20 to 30 wolves over the next three years to the remote Isle Royale on Lake Superior — an attempt to rebuild the island's decimated wolf population(two inbred wolves remaining) and restore the predator-prey balance in the park between wolves and moose"............."The wolves were captured Wednesday from different packs on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation in far northeastern Minnesota".........."They were flown to Isle Royale, vaccinated, fitted with GPS collars, and released at two different sites on the island".............."Releasing these two wolves on the island is the first step to restoring the ecological dynamic in the park"......................"Without hunting pressure from wolves, the moose population on the island tripled over the past decade to around 1,500 animals, which in turn has threatened the island's vegetation with their unchecked appetites"............."The Park Service first floated the idea of a genetic rescue in 2015 via a plan of relocating wolves to the island".........."They then, conducted a lengthy environmental study in which it weighed letting nature take its course in a federal wilderness area, versus stepping in to try to rescue the wolf population".............."Officials approved the plan in June; it calls for relocating up to six wolves this fall"................"The entire project is expected to last three to five years, and cost $2 million to monitor over the next 20 years"

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE FIRST OF 6 NEW WOLVES BEING RELEASED ON ISLE
ROYALE, MICHIGAN ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018
https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=12FE96E5-B50E-E20E-C4E512B0A5BA0317

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2018/09/two-wolves-set-loose-isle-royale-national-park&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoTNzk0Nzg5MTEwODU2NTU0ODA0OTIaZGE5N2NmOTQ3ODA0Njk5YTpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNEbTfpvBO8TyIq5AYhDuDNVRXPAlw

Two Wolves Set Loose At Isle Royale National Park

By NPT Staff on September 27th, 2018

This photo provided by the National Park Service shows a 4-year-old female gray wolf emerging from her cage at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. The wolf -- along with a a 5-year-old male -- was flown to the park Wednesday from the Grand Portage Indian Reservation in Minnesota to kick off a multi-year effort to restore the predator species on the Lake Superior island chain. National Park Service via AP

Moving quickly now that formal approval has been received to prevent Isle Royale National Park's wolf population from blinking out, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released two wolves at the park.

The release Wednesday, coming less than a week after park officials announced their intent to see six wolves brought to the remote island in Lake Superior this fall, saw a 4-year old female and a 5-year old male set free after being flown to the park by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The wolves were then carried to separate release sites away from the public and the territory of the two resident wolves, a park release said Thursday.

Isle Royale National Park is indicated in darker blue in Lake Superior

"It did not take long for the female to leave the crate and begin exploring her new home on the island. The male left his crate after dark. Other wolves will join the two in the coming weeks," the release added.

This photo provided by the National Park Service shows NPS staff unloading a crated gray wolf from a United States Fish & Wildlife Service aircraft on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018 at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. National Park Service via AP

“We have been planning this relocation operation with our partners and are very pleased with the progress so far,” said Isle Royale Superintendent Phyllis Green. “Releasing these two wolves on the island is the first step to restoring the ecological dynamic in the park. The assistance of all our partners is critical to the success of this effort.”

The NPS is collaborating on the recovery project with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, U.S. Geological Survey, University of Minnesota, and multiple NPS units.


Up until this recent Wolf re-introduction, Wolves down to two
lone survivors with a swollen Moose population of 1500 

The male and female wolves came from different pack territories on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation in northeastern Minnesota. Both wolves received medical examinations by Park Service wildlife veterinarian  Michelle Verant and wildlife veterinarian Tiffany Wolf of the University of Minnesota before they were transported to the park. Both were found to be in good condition and apparently healthy. Each wolf weighs approximately 75 pounds and has a thick coat of light tan, gray, and white fur with black markings, which is typical of gray wolves in the region. The wolves were vaccinated and fitted with GPS collars.

The lone two surviving Wolves on Isle Royale up until the recent re-introduction

The goal for this fall is to translocate up to six wolves from the Minnesota and Michigan mainland to the park. This is the first phase of a three- to five-year effort to relocate up to 20-30 wolves to the isolated island park. Researchers recommended this number of wolves to establish adequate genetic variability to help accomplish the overall goal of restoring predation as a key part of the ecosystem on the island.  The NPS plans to monitor ecological conditions and other factors, such as predation rates, genetics, moose-wolf ratios, and terrestrial and aquatic vegetation impacts to evaluate project success.

With warming temperatures, the ice bridge from Michigan
to isle Royale has not been forming with any certainty
during the Winter..........Formerly, periodic transient Wolves
from the mainland would infuse the wolves on Royale with
 new genetic vitality

photos below from John Pepin and Jcob W. Frank of the NPS 
and Courtney Celley of USFW