Wolf Project in Minnesota Catches Black Wolf on Camera
Michelle Milliken
The Voyageurs Wolf Project in Minnesota has been keeping track of the wolf population in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem for more than 10 years, and they recently came across a rare sight for them.
On social media, the group – based at the University of Minnesota - recently shared video of a lone black wolf caught on one of their cameras.
The post reads, “We rarely see black wolves in our area so seeing this black wolf with its seemingly shaggy coat, especially around its legs and feet, was pretty neat!
BLACK WOLF. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK / FOTOREQUEST
“The wolf hung out in front of the camera for a while before heading on its way. This wolf was a lone wolf just passing through our area. None of the ~19 packs we are currently studying have black pack members in them.”
They added that the footage wasn’t of the best quality because it came from donated cameras that weren’t quite as good as their typical cameras.
However, in the video, the wolf, black from head to toe, wanders around in front the camera on a snowy landscape, digging around in the snow and seemingly coming up with something at one point.
On the project's Instagram page, you can see a variety of other wolf videos, including the animals wandering in snow storms, eating berries, and playing as pups. There’s also information on mortality among the wolves, which is often due to poaching. Their trail cameras capture plenty of other wildlife, too, from moose and mountain lions to bears and otters.
The Voyageurs Wolf Project was started to better understand wolf behavior in the summer, which those behind the program say isn’t all that well understood. They’re focusing specifically on predation behavior and facts about the animals’ reproduction during that time of year, from the number of pups born to where their dens are located.
To check out the full video of the black wolf, watch below!
