An image taken in late September 2019 from a remote camera shows two pups born in spring 2019 on Isle Royale National Park. The park has had problems with some wolves encroaching onto campsites, tipping trash containers and trying to take food from visitors. (U.S. National Park Service photo, file)

Wolves that steal backpacks and enter tents have prompted officials at Isle Royale National Park to temporarily close one of the park’s 36 campgrounds.

The park said in a news release Thursday that the closure will run through July 31. The closure affects individual tent and group campsites at Three Mile Campground, which is off of Rock Harbor on the island’s northeast side. Nearby off-trail camping zones will also be closed, but shelters at the campground will stay open.

“Over the past week, a wolf has been spotted in the campground, sniffing and pawing at tents, dragging backpacks away from tents and entering a tent,” the park wrote. “The wolf has become increasingly bold, showing signs of habituation and a growing reliance on human food.”

The park has tried to address the issue through stricter rules on food storage as well as “hazing” methods that include loudly shouting, stomping, clapping, using paintball guns and sounding airhorns. But wolves have continued to show interest in human food and trash.

Park Superintendent Denice Swanke urged visitors to secure their food, trash and scented items while staying at Isle Royale.

“Visitor safety and the protection of wildlife are our highest priorities,” Swanke said.

The campground’s closure comes after the park had temporarily closed the Duncan Narrows Campground on Monday through Wednesday due to “the increasing frequency of interactions between humans and wildlife.”

Earlier this year, an annual survey led by researchers at Michigan Tech University found wolves on Isle Royale had reached “near-record” highs as the moose population saw a sharp decline.

The latest findings showed the wolf population had increased to 37 wolves. Researchers said that number hadn’t been seen on the island since the late 1970s. In 2018 and 2019, the National Park Service transferred 19 wolves to Isle Royale after only two wolves were found in 2016 and 2017.

Park staff plan to step up hazing methods to deter the wolf during the campground’s closure. Employees are also installing other devices that would alert visitors and staff of any wolf presence around Rock Harbor, Three Mile and Daisy Farm Campgrounds.

The park said its goal is to reopen individual tent and group sites on Aug. 1, but the closure could be extended and other closures may take place if needed.

Last August, park staff killed one wolf due to public safety concerns after consultation with state, federal and tribal agencies, according to a National Parks Service news release. It was one of two repeatedly sighted in campgrounds and developed areas on Isle Royale, dragging away food storage bags and backpacks.