Why is isolating wolf populations a problem?
Genetic diversity is essential to the health of the species. Wolves do not maintain high population densities, because each pack maintains a large territory (typically 50 to 100 miles). Since packs are usually made of one or more breeding pairs and their offspring from years past, dispersal is the primary means by which young wolves may locate a unrelated mate. Thus, if wolf populations are large, but individual packs become isolated, there is a risk of inbreeding.
