CANINE PARVOVIRUS EFFECT ON WOLF POPULATION-CHANGE AND PUP SURVIVAL

Canine parvovirus infected wild canids more than a decade ago, but no population effect has been documented. In wild Minnesota wolves (Canis lupus) over a 12-yr period; the annual percent population increase an d proportion of pups each were inversely related to the percentage of wolves serologically positive to the disease. Although these effects d id not seem to retard this large extant population, similar relationsh ips in more isolated wolf populations might hinder recovery of this en dangered and threatened species.