Mystery solved: 3 Isle Royale wolves drown in mine

By Washington Examiner
Published June 14, 2012 11:59pm ET
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Mystery solved: 3 Isle Royale wolves drown in mine
FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2006, file photo provided by Michigan Technological University, a pack of gray wolves is shown on Isle Royale National Park in northern Michigan. On Thursday, June 14, 2012, the university said its researchers have discovered the reason for a worrying decline in the number of wolves in their most recent census. They say the bodies of three wolves, including a female cub, were found floating in water at the bottom of an abandoned, 19th century mineshaft. The winter census found only nine living wolves, only one of them a female. (AP Photo/Michigan Technological University, John Vucetich, File) | John Vucetich

ISLE ROYALE, Mich. (AP) — At least three rare wolves drowned in an abandoned mine shaft on Isle Royale, which explains a worrying drop in their population in the Lake Superior wilderness area, Michigan Technological University said Thursday.

The university said its experts wondered why the annual winter count only found only nine wolves and one confirmed female. It was the lowest since scientists began observing the predator-prey relationship between the remote national park’s wolves and moose more than 50 years ago.

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