New York State Museum Researchers Confirm Rare Documented Case Of A Wild Gray Wolf In New York

ALBANY, NY — Scientists from the New York State Museum, in collaboration with researchers from Princeton University and the Northeast Ecological Recovery Society, have confirmed the first documented case of a wild gray wolf south of the St. Lawrence River in decades. The confirmation is based on extensive analysis of a canid shot by a hunter in Cherry Valley, Otsego County in December 2021.

Gray wolves were eliminated from the northeastern United States by the late 19th century. The findings, detailed in a peer-reviewed study led by Dr. Jeremy Kirchman, NYSM Curator of Birds and Mammals, present evidence of occasional long-distance movement of wolves from eastern Canada into New York State.

Dr. Kirchman said, “The Cherry Valley wolf specimen is an exceptionally important piece of physical evidence of occasional dispersals by wild wolves into the northeastern U.S. from core breeding areas in eastern Canada. The specimen will remain preserved in the Museum’s mammalogy collection in perpetuity, where it will be available for future study.”

The discovery prompted the New York State Department of Conservation (NYSDEC) to increase educational efforts aimed at helping hunters distinguish between coyotes, which are legal to hunt in New York, and wolves, which are protected under state and federal law. However, identification remains challenging due to the complex history of hybridization between wolves and coyotes in eastern North America.

To definitively identify the Cherry Valley wolf, the Museum’s research team conducted extensive morphological, genetic, and stable-isotope analyses. DNA comparisons across the genomes of 435 sampled wolves, coyotes, and dogs firmly grouped the specimen with Gray Wolves, showing an exceptionally high probability of Great Lakes Gray Wolf ancestry. Skull measurements and body mass placed the individual well above the size range observed in eastern coyotes, even those with high levels of wolf ancestry.

When DNA results confirmed the animal was a wolf and not a coyote, the NYSDEC confiscated the taxidermy mount and skull and transferred them to the NYSM. The hunter cooperated fully with officials and was not fined.

"I'm happy to have published this comprehensive examination of the wolf's diet, morphology, and genetics with a team that includes my long-time NYSM colleague Dr. Robert Feranec, wolf advocate and citizen scientist Joe Butera, and Dr. Bridgett vonHoldt, a leading expert on canine genetics at Princeton University," Dr. Kirchman added.

The Cherry Valley wolf is currently on display as part of the NYSM's Canine Contrasts exhibit, where visitors can learn about the complex relationship between wolves, coyotes, and their hybrid descendants in eastern North America.