Ontario moves to protect Algonquin Park wolves

The Ontario government intends to permanently ban hunting and trapping wolves and coyotes in Algonquin Provincial Park and in the 40 townships surrounding the park, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay announced on Wednesday.

There will also be a ban on using dogs to chase wolves and coyotes as well as using wire neck snares to trap them, Ramsay said.

"It's vital to the people of Ontario that their wildlife is protected," Ramsay said. "Today we are taking real, positive action to help ensure Ontarians will hear the howls of the wolves of Algonquin in the future."

Although wildlife in Algonquin Park has been protected from hunting for many years, biologists believe the wolf population is declining because the animals are being shot and trapped when they wander outside the park boundaries.

In 2002, the natural resources ministry estimated there were fewer than 200 wolves in the park. Many of them are eastern grey wolves, which Ramsay said will be added to the new list of Species at Risk in Ontario.

The ban was welcomed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the World Wildlife Fund, Ontario Nature and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

"We still need greater protection for wolves throughout the province, but on the whole it's a good day for wolves and ethical wildlife policies in Ontario," IFAW Canada Director Sherri Cox said.

A moratorium on hunting and trapping wolves in the townships surrounding Algonquin Park has been in place since 2001, but was set to expire on June 30.