MAINE PUBLIC • November 6, 2020
For the first time in almost a quarter century, there is evidence that a wild wolf was in Maine as recently as last summer. Advocates say that builds a case that wolves should receive more protections, even as the federal government is weakening them. John Glowa, executive director of the Maine Wolf Coalition, says DNA extracted from one sample collected near the Canada border last summer was examined by U.S. and Canadian scientists. The results showed the animal was 85 percent wolf. “This will be the first documented case, through DNA, of a live eastern wolf in the U.S.,” Glowa says. He is petitioning to bar recreational trapping of coyotes or wolves and to limit firearm hunting of coyotes to reduce the chance of wolves being killed unintentionally. State and federal wildlife officials did not respond to requests for comment.