Cry Wolf in Connecticut Lately? You May Be Right
March 8th, 2008 categories: Central Connecticut News & Information
File this under “exciting news but I don’t want to ever find out personally that it’s true.”
According to a report from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, a dog-like animal found dead in Western Massachusetts this fall was positively identified through genetic testing as a Gray Wolf.
From the blog Connecticut Hunting Today:
It’s unclear where the wolf came from — the best guess is that it made its way south from established wolf populations in Ontario or Quebec…
Dale May, director of the wildlife division of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said young wolves seeking to establish their own territory can travel “100, 200 or 300 miles.” If a wolf were able to move from Canada to Massachusetts, May said, there’s reason to think one might eventually wander even farther south into the forests of northern Connecticut…
A single gray wolf won’t mean a pack will ever set up residence in Connecticut. May said wolves need 50 to 100 square miles of wild country to operate successfully.
“That means low human population and a low road density,” he said. “There aren’t many places like that in Connecticut.”…
Healy said this is the third gray wolf identified in recent years in the Northeast — the others were in Maine and northern New York. But he said it’s very possible these three weren’t loners and that other wolves are drifting down into the region from Canada.
“That’s what a lot of people have said,” Healy said. “You don’t know what else is out there.”
Howell said both Maine and the Adirondacks have long been considered prime wolf territory, and there have been anecdotal sightings of wolves in the region in the past.
“This has been the most definitive discovery,” Howell said. “This is pretty exciting.”
What has surprised wildlife experts is that to get from the Canadian border to Massachusetts, a wolf would need to cross the St. Lawrence River as well as land, staying largely undiscovered.
“He did a lot of traveling without being noticed,” Howell said.
Healy said the area around Shelburne in western Massachusetts is heavily wooded. A wolf that crossed the St. Lawrence could wander through Vermont into Massachusetts without crossing the paths of many humans.
May said if wolves do establish themselves in Maine or New York, it would be more likely one could wander from there to Connecticut.
May said wildlife biologists are learning many animals in the Northeast — while still wary of humans — have learned they can coexist with them.
“We’re finding a lot of these animals are far more adaptable than we think they are.”
You may also be interested in a post I wrote 1 1/2 years ago about coyotes in South Windsor.
Or, maybe you want to know about black bears - I run into them occasionally.
Not to get sidetracked, but I have run into some wolves out there in real estate agents clothing.
Jessica, your site has been helpful to me in locating Connecticut happenings in real estate.
I left myself wide open for that one. Thanks, Craig. You come back real soon, ya hear!
My wife and I saw a white grayish wolf hanging out in Connecticut. We were coming back from MGM grand Foxwoods on Lantern Hill Road and we saw it just hanging out on the side of the road. My wife freaked out she sensed something out of the ordinary,I told her it may be a german sheppard from a distance, but when we passed by and got approximately 15-20 feet away it became clear it wasn’t a domestic canine. I had quite the adrenaline rush when our eyes met in the dark night. My wife was freaked and squashed any plans of moving up to this area from New Jersey. I had no idea this was a rare sighting till I googled wolf and connecticut and found this post.
I haven’t heard any personal accounts before yours. Thanks for the story.
HEY WE JUST SPOTTED A GREY WOLF IN OUR BACKYARD! 1/29/09 3PM HE WAS ALONE, A LITTLE MANGEY LOOKING AND LIMPING. lAST YEAR WE SAW 2, A GREY ONE AND A TAN ONE. I THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN SPRING. THIS IS EXCITING ALTHOUGH A LITTLE SCAREY.
we’re in northern faifield county.
Now, two personal accounts. Very cool.
I saw a white-gray wolfe looking dog, bigger than a coyote, about full grown german shepard size walk through my yard Monday morning, Feb. 16th around 6:45 a.m. and cross through and go right into the woods down an embankment…I was scared as I have two small dogs so I do not let them out unattended….I am in Putnam, Ct…northeast conn…
We saw a young, approx. 40-45lbs, light brown/tan wolf at 1pm on Old Waterbury Road, Southbury, and it looked very healthy!
Wish we had a camera!
I saw two wolves well over 50lbs moving at a slow pace from the woods onto my lawn up the drive way…Dark gray in color and much bigger than a german shepherd. I was getting out my car at approx. 1:30am Sunday morning coming in from work. They startled me and I was ready to get back in my car. I do not believe they saw me…I immediately told my wife about the incident. Their size startled me! I also reported this sighting under Wolf reporting number: 091320095-CT-00010.
I forgot to mentioned that I am located in Waterford, CT.
Thanks Columbus. I think it’s time to do another posting on this.
[…] the weekend, yet another Connecticut resident posted on this blog that he had seen a wolf in Waterford. Over the last year, five different people have claimed to see wolves. There is also a forum where […]
wow, exciting, scared. be carefull of the big bad wolf. haha. i see a female wolf every morning and every night…no she isnt a lawyer or a real estate agent. those wolves scare me.
this female wolf is my best friend. i got her when she was 8 weeks old. she weighs a little over 100 lbs. right now. smartest animal i have ever seen.
when she was 4 months old i had her in the back room with me, i went to get a drink in the kitchen. i made the mistake of not taking her with me. i had a baby gate in the door way. the kind you have to push down the button, lift the handle, and swing the gate open. she was more then big enough to jump over the gate or even push into it and knock it over. she didnt do either…she watched me open it. the next time i opened it, and didnt take her with me…i threw the gate away. after watching me open it only twice, she was able to press down the button, lift the handle and swing the gate open, then follow me.
killer wolves….we go to the bank she takes my bank slips stands up on the counter and gives them to the teller who is so deathly afraid of her she hand feeds her treats, while another teller runs out from behind the counter to pet her and rub her belly. after those viscious attacks we go to work where she is offered apples and bananas from my co-workers. she plays nicely with other animals, loves kids. all though there was that one time i brought home a monkey she tore the outfit off within seconds…i guess she was trying to figure out where i was hiding the squeeky in the toy monkey.
so yes virginia, there are wolves in CT despite what the DEP or anyone else tells you. if you would like to see photos let me know.