Mysterious Large Canines in Vermont Have Puzzling Ancestry

The mystery surrounding a 92-pound canine animal that was shot in Troy, Vermont on October 1, 2006, has finally begun to unravel. In a press release issued by the Agency of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife Department in Vermont, DNA results have determined that the mystery animal was mostly from wolf ancestry.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's forensics laboratory in Ashland, Oregon performed the DNA tests. The lab results show that the animal's ancestry consisted mainly of two different types of wolf populations that are separated by geography. There are no known cases of these two types of wolves interbreeding in the wild; therefore the animal was probably bred in captivity.

There were tissue samples sent to three additional laboratories and the results all were slightly different. However, they all concluded that the large animal shot last year was mainly wolf. The Fish and Wildlife Department is planning to continue to investigate the heritage of this animal so they can better understand if it was the result of a domestic pet roaming in the wild or an authentic wild wolf that had migrated to Vermont.

State Wildlife Biologist, Kimberly Royar said, "The Fish and Wildlife Department will continue to contribute to regional monitoring and research efforts related to wild canid populations in Vermont because we cannot rule out the possibility that wild wolves may move into the Northeastern United States from eastern Canada sometime in the future."

Coyote hunting is not illegal in Vermont and is encouraged. "Hunting coyotes keeps them wild and wary of humans however, we encourage coyote hunters, as we would in all hunting situations, to carefully identify their target when hunting," advises Royar. There is a very stiff penalty for anyone who shoots a grey wolf as they are protected and listed on the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Large 92-pound canid shot last October.

Credit: Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife

Copyright: Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife