Wolves in Missouri?

[IMshooter]

A fellow I know claims to have seen a wolf in the Missouri Ozarks.  Since our state is starting to get black bears, mountain lions, and wild hogs, perhaps his story is true.  Has anyone else seen or heard a wolf in Missouri?

[dukkillr]

I doubt it seriously.  He probably saw a coyote or dog. 

[IMshooter]

I don't know if he really saw a wolf or not.  But I got curious enough that I did a little research.  There is a Wolf Sanctuary about 20 miles south of St. Louis which is committed to reintroducing Red wolves to the southern US and Mexican Gray wolves to the southwestern US.  According to thier website, the Red Wolf was last found in the Ozarks of Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma.  It is thought to have gone locally extinct in 1981.  The USFS has been using the Wolf Sanctuary to reintroduce Red wolves to the southern US, although none have been released back into the Ozarks.

[Ranger J]

Chances are it was a well-fed, well-flurred coyote.  I have seen some real beauties in the Ozarks.  The original wolf of this area was the red wold, Canis rufus which was somewhere in size between a coyote and a gray wolf.  They were very common in early settlement days but are on endangered list today.
RJ

[IMshooter]

There was an article in the 2/18/07 paper about two gray wolves which have escaped from a private facility near Branson, MO.  One wolf was a pregnant female, the other wolf a male.  I guess there really are wolves in Missouri now!


BRANSON WEST (AP) - A pregnant timber wolf who broke out of a Branson-area attraction with her mate was probably just seeking a safer place to give birth, the park’s owner said.

Breck Wakefield, owner of Predator World, said the wolves escaped late Thursday, one day after they arrived at the park. They’re no threat to humans, he said.

A search for the wolves was called off late Friday, although efforts to trap them continued.

"We figure we’re better off to let them settle down," Wakefield said.

Wakefield said the animals were probably in a 1,000-acre tract of land behind Predator World, which is located eight miles across a county line from its better-known neighbor, the resort town of Branson.

[missouri dave]

Not 100 percent sure but I saw something across the river in Illinois one night that made a darn fine imitation of one. I was driving down a backroad and saw one right near the road in full view of the headlights. Got a really good look and it looked just like a wolf. If it was a coyote it was a HUGE coyote!

[Graybeard]

It is entirely possible to see a wolf or at least wolf cross anywhere these days. We hear the howls of one around here most every night. Folks have taken to keeping them as pets (my brother-in-law has two and they had pups). From time to time folks either turn them loose or they escape. So you might see one in any state and any area.

[billy_56081]

Heck we'll ship ya a few Timbers down from MN if you want some. They are fairly thick in northern MN and almost every year one gets shot by coyote hunters in southern MN. So far the DNR has been letting it slide if one gets shot in southern MN.

[Rick Teal]

We have an idiot "scientist" here in Ontario who claims that our wolf population are actually southern red wolves.  He's actually convinced the government to limit the hunting of wolves in order to "protect" them.  If your guys buy his argument, the sportsmen here would gladly ship you a few thousand to get your re-introduction up and running.

[John Y Cannuck]

Yup, the story was that the 'endangered' red wolf was in danger of being hunted to extinction, so we had best ban hunting on ALL wolves 

Brick headed politicians will swallow anything the anti's throw at them if their's a vote in it.