J. CLARK SALYER WILDLIFE REFUGE, N.D. (KMOT) — The J. Clark Salyer Wildlife Refuge spans just shy of 90 square miles in north central North Dakota.
It’s home to hundreds of species of animals, including a new one that’s raising concerns of those who use the area.
Recent grey wolf sightings at the J. Clark Salyer Wildlife Refuge over the past few months have given some visitors quite the stories to tell.
DJ McGillis was deer hunting with a friend in the refuge in late November when they came across a bunch of white moving objects.
“They had two of them go off to the east, two to the west, and then four of them starting coming down the hill, towards where we were,” said DJ McGillis.
McGillis said the animals looked like grey wolves, and he and his friend began to retreat back to their vehicle.
“My emotions were running pretty high at that time, not sure if they were going to keep coming, what they’re going to do,” said McGillis.
While one or two grey wolves is common, larger packs of the animals is unusual for the area.
Nearby resident Todd Larson hasn’t seen the wolves, but he did find a print from one in September.
He said he’s concerned about the impacts the wolves could have on local wildlife.
“I don’t want it to get like it is in Minnesota, where you don’t see any wild animals, because the number of wolves has increased so much that it’s wiped out,” said Todd Larson.
Larson added that other animals already balance out the ecosystem.
“We have coyotes here, that take care of anything that dies or roadkill,” said Larson.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service runs the refuge.
Grey wolves are listed under the Endangered Species Act.
We reached out to North Dakota Game and Fish who says they do not have jurisdiction over the refuge and typically don’t handle grey wolves.
We also reached out to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for comment.
We’ll update you when we learn more.
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