To the Editor:

Re “Predator and Prey, a Delicate Dance,” by John A. Vucetich, Michael P. Nelson and Rolf O. Peterson (Op-Ed, May 9):

A beautiful island wilderness in Lake Superior, shaped like Manhattan but roughly nine times as large, Isle Royale National Park in Michigan is rugged in topography, with many inland lakes.

Working as a backcountry ranger in 1975, I was hiking one day and rounded a bend to come upon a magnificent wolf standing in the trail, a hundred feet ahead. Wolves are wary of humans; fewer than 10 wolf sightings were reported from among 10,000 visitors that summer.

We locked eyes for a split second before the wolf leapt away, soaring, then disappearing into the lush, waist-high sea of thimbleberry plants beside the trail. Twice his back arced above the thimbleberry canopy. Then he was gone. The most thrilling five seconds of my life were over, but the memory was indelible.

I wholeheartedly support the writers’ recommendation for the introduction of new wolves. Isle Royale’s moose and wolf populations are a national treasure worth preserving.