ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Provincial officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say tests confirm a large canine shot on the Bonavista Peninsula in March was a wolf.
The Department of Environment and Conservation says DNA testing carried out by both Memorial University and the University of Idaho has verified the animal was a Labrador wolf.
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Environment Minister Terry French says it can only be speculated how the animal made its way to the Island, but he says it most likely travelled from Labrador on sea ice.
Tissue samples were compared to known wolf, coyote and domestic dog DNA.
The Newfoundland wolf became extinct on the island around 1930, but the grey wolf is commonplace in Labrador.
The department says although wolves may occasionally arrive in Newfoundland from Labrador, there is no evidence of a breeding population on the island.
(VOCM)
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