One of the longest-running wildlife field studies in the world has fallen victim to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Every winter since 1959, scientists and researchers spend their time at the Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, observing and documenting the interplay between the wolves and moose.
According to the Isle Royale Wolf Organization, the study aims to understand the ecology of predation and what humans can learn from nature's relationship.
There have been many discoveries in Isle Royal, such as how wolves affect their prey population, how inbreeding and genetics affect population health, and how moose teeth show long-term trends in air pollution.
However, this year due to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, Superintendent Denice Swanke said on Friday that the mission must be scrapped this year to protect scientists and support personal from contracting the virus.
Researchers from various universities, the park service, and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa planned to assess the effects of the world population's conservation efforts towards the ecosystem.
The park is closed from November 1, 2020, to April 15, 2021.
What Will Happen to the Isle Royale Wolf and Moose Study?
The researchers use a single cabin every winter that would not be able to allow social distancing. According to Superintendent Swanke, the decision was also affected by the closure between the United States and Canada borders plus a shortage of flight and rescue supplies.
On the other hand, the park service will try to document and observe wolf population changes over the summer using remote cameras and other techniques. However, researchers would not benefit from observing wolf and moose interplay during the summer where the animals are easily spotted.
"There will just be a hole in the data that nothing can be done about," explains John Vucetich from Michigan Technological University, who produces annual reports on the moose and wolves that roam the park.
It is believed that these wolves crossed ice bridges from the mainland to the island during the mid-20th century. The wolves then established packs and have prevented the moose from overpopulating.
In recent years, because of inbreeding, the wolves are almost wiped out. Thus, U.S and Canadian officials have begun airlifting wolves from the U.S and Canada mainland.
Recent data shows that there were only 12 to 14 wolves last year compared to the estimated moose herd of 1,876.
The wolf population has been erratic since the early records of 1959, while the moose population has been steadily increasing up until 1995.
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