Two wolves recently relocated to Isle Royale National Park are on the move and feeding, the National Park Service reported on Monday.
The 4-year-old female and 5-year-old male captured in the Grand Portage Indian Reservation were released in Isle Royale early last week in an effort to rebuild the island's dwindling wolf population, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
But a second female intended for Isle Royale died on Thursday after being trapped, sedated and driven to a holding facility, MPR reported.
The two wolves that were successfully placed on the island are being tracked via wildlife cameras and a GPS monitoring collar, according to the park service. They're feeding on moose carcasses that were left for them. The female has moved at least 12 miles into the island's interior, according to the news release.
The island is home to about 1,600 moose. Wolf numbers on the island crashed to just a pair earlier this year as inbreeding spurred genetic defects that have crippled the wolves' ability to survive and reproduce.
