"Hybridization among canids in Ontario, Canada has been well-documented using morphological and genetic data"............."In Ontario, there is general consensus that there has been historical hybridization among three different canid species: Eastern Wolf (Canis lycaon), Western Coyote (Canis latrans) and Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)"............."As a result, there are currently three distinct genetic clusters of canids with differentiated ancestry in central Ontario: Great Lakes Wolf (Canis lupus x lycaon), Algonquin Wolf and Eastern Coyote (C. latrans var.)"......... "Algonquin Wolves are often visually indistinguishable from large Eastern Coyotes or other admixed canids, and larger individuals can be hard to distinguish from Gray Wolves"............"In Ontario, the Algonquin Wolf occurs from Killarney Provincial Park east to the Ottawa Valley, and south to Fenelon Falls and Buckhorn"............ "The core of the Algonquin Wolf occurs within Algonquin Provincial Park where they are the most abundant canid"...............""The distribution of the Eastern (Algonquin) Wolf outside of Ontario includes southern Quebec, north of the St. Lawrence River"..........."Algonquin Wolves were once thought to have occurred across southern Ontario, southern Quebec and into the eastern United States"................."Currently, they are not thought to exist outside of Canada, with an estimated 500 individuals surviving in the wild"

Click on link to read full Draft Recovery Strategy for the Algonquin Wolf

https://www.ofah.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/algonquin-wolf-draft-recovery-strategy.pdf

Click to watch a 6 minute video regarding the survival of the Algonquin Wolf-excellent video!

https://www.tvo.org/video/programs/the-agenda-with-steve-paikin/the-survival-of-the-algonquin-wolf

2018 DRAFT Recovery Strategy for the Algonquin Wolf in Ontario

 The Algonquin Wolf (Canis sp.) is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species 50 Act, 2007. In 2016, the Algonquin Wolf was recognized by the Committee on the 51 Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) as a “hybrid group that collectively  represents a genetically discrete cluster with distinct morphological characteristics”. The Algonquin Wolf was so named by COSSARO to differentiate it from other 54 populations that have been labelled Eastern Wolf, to specifically indicate that it is a  genetically discrete cluster and to acknowledge the hybrid ancestry of this evolutionarily significant unit.

 The Algonquin Wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park

 Map showing core regions for the Algonquin Wolf

 Hybridization among canids in Ontario has been well-documented using morphological 58 and genetic data. The number of genetic samples that have been collected during 59 these studies is extensive. In Ontario, there is general consensus that there has been 60 historical hybridization among three different canid species: Eastern Wolf (Canis  lycaon), Western Coyote (Canis latrans) and Gray Wolf (Canis lupus). As a result,  there are currently three distinct genetic clusters of canids with differentiated ancestry in  central Ontario: Great Lakes Wolf (Canis lupus x lycaon), Algonquin Wolf and Eastern  Coyote (C. latrans var.). Algonquin Wolves are often visually indistinguishable from  large Eastern Coyotes or other admixed canids, and larger individuals can be hard to distinguish from Gray Wolves.  In Ontario, the Algonquin Wolf occurs from Killarney Provincial Park east to the Ottawa 68 Valley, and south to Fenelon Falls and Buckhorn. The core of the Algonquin Wolf population in Ontario occurs within Algonquin Provincial Park (APP), where they are the most abundant canid.

Algonquin Wolf

The continued presence and dominance of Algonquin Wolves in APP, since at least the beginning of the 20th century, is likely due to historical  abundance, strong territoriality, assortative mating and high survival due to protection  from hunting and trapping.  The distribution of the Eastern (Algonquin) Wolf outside of Ontario includes southern Quebec, north of the St. Lawrence River. 

Algonquin Wolf

Algonquin Wolves were once thought to have  occurred across southern Ontario, southern Quebec and into the eastern United States.  Currently, the Algonquin Wolf is not believed to occur outside Canada.  The Algonquin Wolf occurs in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest but is not generally restricted to specific habitat types. They have thrived in large tracts of continuous forested habitat, specifically areas with low human-caused mortality. Persistence and  expansion of Algonquin Wolves in the landscape is thought to be primarily limited by two factors: (1) competition and hybridization with other canids, primarily the Eastern Coyote, and increased susceptibility to human-caused mortality (trapping, shooting and vehicular collisions).


Did the Eastern Wolf(gray) and the Algonquin Wolf (green)
historically intersect prior to European colonization?

 Rabies and mange have contributed to mortality in the past, but are not consistent threats to the Algonquin Wolf. The recovery goal is to ensure a self-sustaining population of the Algonquin Wolf within  the Algonquin Wolf Recovery Zone (AWRZ) in Ontario. DRAFT Recovery Strategy for the Algonquin Wolf in Ontario  This recovery strategy focusses on reducing threats to increase population size and geographic range and to protect habitats where Algonquin Wolves can persist and  thrive. It is recommended that the development and implementation of recovery  approaches involve Indigenous communities, and the public, primarily residents and stakeholders that live and operate within the AWRZ. 

Algonquin Wolves

The protection and recovery objectives for the Algonquin Wolf are as follows:  Mitigate or eliminate known threats, particularly intentional human-caused  mortality, to the species and its habitat through harvest regulation, education,  and management.  Assess changes to the population size, genetic structure, occurrence and 98 mortality rates of the Algonquin Wolf in Ontario.  Establish a standardized approach for long-term monitoring of the Algonquin  Wolf population in Ontario. Fill key knowledge gaps to better understand Population viability;   Location and quality of Algonquin Wolf habitat in Ontario, including identification of areas more favourable to Algonquin Wolves than Eastern  Coyotes;  Changes in density and distribution of the Algonquin Wolf and other canid types, and prey species in response to harvest management; and  Human perception of wolves in Ontario and the potential to increase positive human perceptions of their intrinsic and ecological value.