Wolves and Bears In the East
Cities in the East and Midwest are also getting their share of large predators. The eastern timber wolf, a species that goes out of its way to avoid human contact, has moved into the upper Midwest. Driven nearly to extinction in the region in the early 1900's, the wolves began returning to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan in the mid-1970's. Since then, the population has ballooned. Minnesota wolves now number about 2,200, nearly double the number of the first census in 1978.
Biologist Michael Doncarlos of Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources said the wolf's protected status under federal and state laws was at least partially responsible for the animal's resurgence. Protection led to an explosion of the wolf population in Minnesota's northern wilderness areas, forcing some wolves southward in search of territory and food. Wolves now occupy the urban fringe and suburban areas only 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Minneapolis and St. Paul, an area of more than 2.5 million people. Doncarlos believes the wolves will continue to expand their range because their prey, white-tail deer, are at record high numbers throughout the Great Lakes region.
The largest animal moving into America's urban habitats is the black bear. Remarkably, people in New Jersey, the nation's most densely populated state, are sighting bears in the Highlands, which border on the state's most crowded section. This region, roughly 64 kilometers (40 miles) from midtown Manhattan in New York City, has evergreen forests, lakes, and swamps mixed with residential communities. Nearly every day, residents of West Milford and other towns in the Highlands report bears wandering through their backyards.
In the early 1970's, New Jersey's annual bear count varied from 10 to 30 animals. By 1996, the count was up to more than 400. State wildlife biologist Patty McConnell believes two major events triggered the rise. First, in the 1960's, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bought up thousands of hectares of farmland along the Delaware River for a dam project, but the project was canceled and the land reverted to forest. And second, neighboring Pennsylvania prohibited bear hunting for several years in the late 1970's. The rise in the number of bears forced younger bears to cross the Delaware and seek new territory in New Jersey's reforested areas. By 1996, bear habitat was pushing against lakeside communities, and bears were attracted to easy-to-get food.
