Research, advanced genetic testing techniques allowed a team of 19 researchers to trace and link the origins of 4 of the non-dog canid species present in the U.S: Gray Wolves (Canis lupus), Red Wolves (Canis rufus), Great Lakes Wolves (Canis lycaon), and coyotes (Canis latrans).
The groundbreaking research showed there to be an abundance of
mixing between and within the coyote and wolf species. For example, the Eastern Coyote or “coy-wolf,” as it is often called, of New York State, originated from coyotes travelling southwest from Ontario, through the Great Lakes Region, where they bred with Great Lakes Wolves before fully colonizing New York State. According to studies done by Kays and his fellow researchers, the Eastern “coy-wolves” have much larger skulls than western coyotes, allowing them to hunt large prey like deer, but are physically smaller than wolves and better able to avoid humans, making them well-suited for life among people. Now, New York State deals with the complex effects of the presence of canids that are not wolves, nor coyotes, but a mixture of both. Many scientists involved in the research see it as grounds for a reevaluation of the current endangered species guidelines, which may no longer be relevant or useful.
For Chad Sherman, a resident of Wolverine, Michigan—a rural town
of about 350 people—the genetic details of the animals matter little. Wolf or coyote, “We don’t want ‘em,” says the cattle breeder and avid hunter. Sherman often meets with friends at the Marathon gas station just off of Interstate 75 for coffee and conversation. “Everyone I know wants them gone,” he says. He feels that the presence of wolves in northern Michigan will threaten his livelihood and that of many of others who work with livestock. “There are plenty of predators here already,” says Sherman, who believes residents have a right to shoot the wolves if they become a nuisance.
Sherman could have good reason to worry. In the Upper Peninsula,
where the wolf population is thriving, the number of cattle killed by wolves skyrocketed in 2010 with 6% of farms experiencing an attack, according to Excellence in Upper-Level Writing 2012
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