Scientists are concerned there are only three wolves left alive in Michigan's Isle Royale National Park.

"There is now a good chance that it's too late to conduct genetic rescue," said John Vucetich, an associate professor of wildlife ecology and co-lead in the study.

The three wolves consist of two adults and a nine-month-old cub known as the wolves' offspring. The cub doesn't look healthy and researchers found out it was suffering from a constricted waistline, hunched posture and a deformed tail.

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Michigan Technological University spotted nine wolves in the area last winter and the current numbers of wolves are really alarming.

As the wolves' numbers decrease, it becomes a big problem since the chances of recovering the wolves' number has been reduced to slim or none at all.

Starting 2009, almost 88 percent of the number of wolves in Isle Royale fell from 24 to 3 wolves.

One reason to consider is inbreeding. This also becme one of the fears of geneticists since this means the group won't recover at all.

Still, scientists are hopeful visiting wolves can help save the Isle Royale population. Scientists do believe the only hope for the lone wolves to recover is to mate or reproduce in a natural way.

"One must use the word, 'naturally', carefully these days. The human imprint is written all over the dynamics of this wolf population in recent decades," noted co-lead author Rolf Peterson, a research professor at Michigan Tech.

It's no doubt humans are to blame for the decline of wolf populations, not only in the Michigan's Isle Royale National Park but also in different places across the United States.

TagsIsle Royale Has Only Three Lone Wolves, wolves, Michigan Isle Royal National Park, Michigan, animal survival, Isle Royal, Isle Royale