Photos of a canine that looked like a wolf roaming Anchorage’s streets recently circulated widely on social media, and raised questions about the animal’s species.
The animal was found dead in West Anchorage early Monday. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is doing genetic testing, and it could take months to get the results.
But Cynthia Wardlow, the regional officer for the department in Anchorage, said there’s no indication the animal was a wolf. The department, however, is going to test to see if it may have been a wolf hybrid, which are illegal to own in Anchorage.
“We don’t believe that it’s a wolf, but just because there’s been so much interest, we’re going to take the additional steps and send those samples off,” Wardlow said.
The state describes a “wolf hybrid” as the offspring from a wolf or wolf hybrid with a dog or another wolf hybrid. In 2011, a Matanuska Susitna Borough-based tourist business faced criminal charges for possessing wolf hybrids without a permit.
The animal wandering Anchorage was an older female, and was 67 pounds when she died. She wasn’t wearing a collar. Wardlow said she could’ve been a household dog with unusual coloration.
She said the mysterious animal sparked a lot of public interest, similar to the white raven that was seen around Anchorage last year.
“People are very interested in animals in general, and especially if there’s a chance that it’s something unusual that seems to garner even more interest, so it’s not surprising, and certainly makes it very interesting to gather more information about where these animals are spotted,” she said.
A similar situation happened in 2018, when rumors of a black wolf living on the Hillside drew public debate on the animal’s species. The canine wasn’t captured and tested, but Fish and Game said it was most likely a dog.
Still, wolves are not unusual in Anchorage.
In September, trail cameras captured a wolf pack killing a moose calf in Far North Bicentennial Park. Wardlow said the videos were a reminder that wolves live in close proximity to the city.
Compared to Southeast Alaska, the Municipality of Anchorage has a low density of wolves, but there are still at least five distinguished packs: The Knik River Pack, Eklutna Pack, Portage Pack, Ship Creek Pack and Elmendorf Pack.
Wolves typically travel in packs of six or seven animals, and are often a mix of yearlings and adults. There are between 7,000 and 11,000 wolves in Alaska, according to Fish and Game.
Ava White reports on economics and hosts the statewide morning news at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at awhite@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8445. Read more about Ava here.
