A new survey has found that Isle Royal National Park now only has three remaining gray wolves. In 2009, the animal's population in the park were at least 29. As to why the animals are now nearly extinct still remains a mystery.

Researchers from the Michigan Technological University (MTU) has found that only one group was living on the island with three or possibly two members during an annual study of the park over the winter. The survey conducted last winter had nine wolves on record. It isn't exactly clear what caused the population of the wolves to rapidly decline given the the population of the moose is booming.

Besides the three resident wolves, researchers saw two additional wolves visit the island but these visiting animals stayed only for a while before returning to where they have come from. The study, which has been conducted for 57 consecutive years, is the world's longest running study of the relationship between predator and prey in a closed ecosystem.

Prompted by the current status of the gray wolves, the researchers have urged the National Park Service to add more wolves to the island. The researchers reported that the island now has 1,250 moose with the predator-prey gap growing for four years now, a phenomenon that could lead to a number of possible problems.

Study researcher John Vucetich, a wildlife ecology associate professor, said that it is not the wolves' presence that matters much but whether or not the animals perform their ecological function. Vucetich does not see much hope in the chances of replenishing the gene pool of the wolves with only three remaining gray wolves left.

"There is now a good chance that it is too late to conduct genetic rescue" Vucetich said.

Inbreeding has affected the pack over the last five decades and this is apparent in the remaining wolves. The group is known to be made up of two adults and a nine-month old pup, which is likely the offspring of the pair. The pup, however, does not look healthy having a hunched posture, a constricted waistline and a deformed tail.

The researchers likewise noted that they have only found the two adult wolves on the last day of the study but not the pup. They said that it is possible that the pup was already dead. Regardless of the pup's health, many researchers believe that such low number makes it unlikely for the animal's population to naturally recover.

Drew Avery | Flickr