By Tanda Gmiter | MLive

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Before this week, these two wolves had been alone on Isle Royale for years. Photo courtesy of the Wolves and Moose Project, and Michigan Tech University

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How the National Park Service is Trapping, Relocating Wild Wolves to Michigan's Isle Royale

ISLE ROYALE, MI - A week into the National Park Service's effort to capture and relocate wild wolves to Michigan's remote Isle Royale, the federal agency and its many partners in the project have taken dozens of photos documenting the unusual process.

So far, two new wolves have been introduced to the island after being caught on tribal land in nearby Minnesota.

More wolves have been caught and vet-checked, but have been returned to the wild when it was determined they did not meet the age or other requirements for the move.

In the only casualty so far, the park service reported that a female wolf caught last week died before it could be transferred to the island.

It's part of a larger, three-year effort to relocate up to 30 gray wolves to the island in Lake Superior from existing packs in Minnesota, Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Ontario, Canada.

It's being done to bolster the island's wolf population, which had dropped to just two predators in recent years. The wolves are needed on the island to provide a counterbalance to its booming moose population, the park service has said. The concern is that left unchecked, the island's 1,600 moose will overbrowse the main island on the wilderness park's archipelago.

The following photos and descriptions were provided by the National Park Service.

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Step #1: In the Field

The National Park Service provided these shots from field work with the trappers.

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Paperwork

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Roger Dechampe Jr. from Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Kevin Fuller work to complete processing paperwork on a wolf.

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Photo courtesy of NPS / Jacob W. Frank

First Female Wolf

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Kevin Fuller with USDA Wildlife Services works with Roger Dechampe Jr. and Tony Swader of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to process the first female wolf translocated to Isle Royale.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS / Courtney Celley

In the Crate

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Staff from Grand Portage and USDA Wildlife Services gather around a newly crated wolf.

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Step #2: Holding Facility

Wolves in the holding facility before transport to the island.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS / Courtney Celley

First Female

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The first female wolf relocated relaxes in her crate.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS / Courtney Celley

From Crate to Kennel

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Staff move the crated wolf into a larger kennel.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS / Courtney Celley

First Male

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The first male wolf relocated in his kennel.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS/Courtney Celley

First male wolf

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The male wolf in the holding facility before transport.

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Step #3: Vet Work

These photos show how veterinarians from different organizations first process and care for wolves in the holding facility.

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Photo courtesy of NPS / Jacob W. Frank

Ear Tags

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The first set of ear tags for Isle Royale's relocated wolves.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS / Courtney Celley

The First Male is Vet-Checked

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Tiffany Wolf (U of Minnesota), Shannon Barber-Meyer (USGS) , Mark Romanski (NPS), Anna Johnson (NPS), and Lea Korsmeyer (NPS) take measurements and assess the first male wolf.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS / Courtney Celley

Measurements

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The male's measurements are taken.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS / Courtney Celley

Canines

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Veterinarians examine the wolf's canines.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS / Courtney Celley

Veterinarians Perform a Medical Exam

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NPS Wildlife Vet Michelle Verant and Grand Portage Fish and Wildlife Biologist Yvette Chenaux-Ibrahim perform exam on a wolf.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS/Courtney Celley

Fitting the Radio Collar

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USFWS Wildlife Veterinarian Samantha Gibbs (left), Grand Portage Wildlife Biologist Seth Moore, USGS Research Wildlife Biologist Shannon Barber-Meyer, and others work together to fit the first male wolf with a radio collar.

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Step #4: Transport of the Wolves

All the different modes of transportation to get wolves from the field to the island.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS / Courtney Celley

From the Field

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NPS Project Coordinator Mark Romanski works with NPS Vet Michelle Verant and Grand Portage Biologist Seth Moore to unload a crated wolf from the field into the holding facility.

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Photo courtesy of NPS / John Pepin

Loading a Crated Wolf

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NPS and Grand Portage staff unload a crated wolf from the field to carry to the the holding facility.

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Photo courtesy of NPS / John Pepin

Scouting

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Ecologist Lynette Potvin and two other NPS staff drive a boat to scout locations for a wolf release.

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Photo courtesy of NPS / Alex Picavet

Headed to the Island

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A crated wolf moves from the van to the seaplane.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS/Courtney Celley

From Truck to Plane

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Project staff load a crated wolf into a seaplane for a flight to the island.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS/Courtney Celley

Coming in for a Landing

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The USFWS Kodiak seaplane used to transport the first wolves to the island.

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Photo courtesy of USFWS/Courtney Celley

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USFWS Pilot Jim Wortham, Project Coordinator Mark Romanski, and Chief Ranger Coral Conway coordinate events for wolf transport.

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Photo courtesy of the NPS | Jon Pepin

Seaplane Pilot

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USFWS seaplane pilot Jim Worsham talks to Isle Royale Park Superintendent Phyllis Green.

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Photo courtesy of the NPS | Jacob W. Frank

The Crate Comes Out

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NPS staff and vet Samantha Gibbs unload the first relocated wolf off of the USFWS seaplane.

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Photo courtesy of NPS / Jacob W. Frank

Moving to the Release Site

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NPS staff put the crated wolf onto a vehicle for transport to the release site.

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Photo courtesy of NPS / John Pepin

Almost at the Release Site

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NPS staff carry the crated wolf to the release site on the island.

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Step #6: The First Release

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Photo courtesy of NPS | John Pepin

Superintendent with First Crate

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Isle Royale National Park Superintendent Phyllis Green stands in front of an empty carrier that held the first wolf translocated to the park Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018.

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Photo courtesy of NPS / John Pepin

Opening the Crate

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Isle Royale Superintendent Phyllis Green and ecologist Lynette Potvin prepare to open the crate.

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Photo courtesy of the National Park Service

Before She Leaves

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The female wolf is shown looking at a remote camera shortly before leaving her crate.

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Photo courtesy of the National Park Service

The First Release

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A female wolf emerges from her crate on the island.

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Photo courtesy of NPS | Jon Pepin

There She Goes

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An artistic photo shows the first gray wolf translocated to Isle Royale National Park on the move away from her carrier, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018.

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Photo courtesy of the NPS | Jon Pepin

The Last Glimpse

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The last glimpse of the first wolf translocated to Isle Royale National Park Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018 as she slips into the forests on the island.

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Image courtesy of the NPS

New Wolves Are on the Move

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Information from the two new wolves' tracking collars show they have both found moose carcasses left for them on the island.

On Monday afternoon, the National Park Service released this update on their activities:

"Over the weekend, game cameras monitoring a moose carcass caught the first images of the two wolves recently translocated to the island. As part of the translocation efforts, moose carcasses were placed in specific areas on the landscape to provide initial nutrition and attract wolves to these locations while subsequent wolf translocations occur in different areas.

"At different times both wolves, outfitted with GPS collars, visited carcass sites. The image above shows GPS locations for the 4 year old female (ISRO-2018-001). She found the first carcass within 2 hours of leaving her crate (green square in the map).

"She remained in the vicinity of the carcass through the following morning and then moved northeastward and visited another location where the NPS stationed a moose carcass. As of this press release, her last GPS position indicated she has moved at least 12 miles into the interior of the island.

"The NPS will use GPS collar data to determine how translocated wolves form social groups and visit kill sites to understand more about predation impacts, to keep track of individual life histories, and to confirm reproduction. The collar signals from the male have not uploaded any data which is normal for satellite monitoring startups, but he has been seen in game cameras and is moving around the island."

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Read More About Isle Royale

Love Isle Royale? Read more about this fascinating place:

Mystery of missing lifeboat solved for Isle Royale shipwreck's 90th anniversary.

The mystery of Michigan's Cemetery Island.

Why moose were trapped, crated off this Michigan island