Red wolves, whose habitat stretched from southeastern U.S. into western and southern Illinois, were driven out of everywhere but the Louisiana and Texas area by 1900. INDUSTRY, IL — A farmer in Industry, Illinois claims dozens of wolf-like creatures are making their mark in acres of his woods.
Young male wolves often range far and wide, and it's likely that this one came from Wisconsin. While wolves dispersing from northern states into Illinois are rare, any gray wolves in Illinois found north of I-80 are listed as threatened under state law, while those south of the interstate remain federally endangered.
Gray wolves were eliminated from Illinois before 1860 due to hunting pressure.
Caught on tape - Wolves in Southern Illinois By: Carly O'Keefe. Four other wolf sightings have been confirmed in Illinois in modern times; three were shot and one was hit by a car near Chain O' Lakes State Park. In … The once thriving Illinois wolf population was all but eliminated by 1860 through habitat destruction and hunting, but after a nearly 150 year absence, a wolf was spotted in 2002 in Marshall County.
In 2009: A coyote hunter kills a male wolf in Kane County, in northeastern Illinois.
Despite subsequent sightings, their past decline explains why they are unlikely to return, regardless of the protection laws in place.
In 2011: Two wolves are killed in Jo Daviess County in separate shootings by hunters. The IDNR is unaware of any self-sustaining populations or packs currently residing in Illinois, but wolves originating from existing populations in Wisconsin (primarily), Michigan and Minnesota have been documented moving through or temporarily residing in the state. The change becomes effective January 27, 2012. If confirmed, this will be the farthest south a wolf …