Wilk Bartek bobrowisko

More protection for the territory of the wolf Bartek!

More protection for the territory of the wolf Bartek!

On Thursday, January 26, we participated in a meeting on the protection of the source area of the Czarna Konecka River.

This area, customarily called Czerwony Most (The Red Bridge) and characterized by high natural values, is located in the Przysucha Forest District – in the territory of the Bartek wolf family.

The meeting was organized on the initiative of the Stowarzyszenie Przyrodników Ostoja (Association of Naturalists Ostoja), by the Przysucha Forest District. It was also attended by representatives of the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Radom and the Towarzystwo Badań i Ochrony Przyrody (The Society for Research and Conservation of Nature).

There was a consensus among the participants on the natural value of the area and the legitimacy of its protection. During the meeting, we discussed the possibility of expanding protection, both by modifying forest management plans and implementing area protection. Another meeting on this issue is planned for March, this time in the field, in the Czerwony Most area.

We invite you to watch a short video showing a bird’s-eye view of a section of our wolf Bartek’s territory, which, in addition to wolves, is also home to numerous beavers!

*Bartek is a wolf who was fitted with a telemetry collar by our Foundation 2 years ago. In 2021 Bartek found a partner and got puppies.

Author: Roman Gula



wilk Geralt

Geralt the wolf photographed!

24. January 2023| Wolf protection, Poland, Wolf Geralt

Geralt the wolf photographed!

The Mircze Forest Inspectorate, located east of Zamość, on the border with Ukraine, recently posted a photo of a wolf with a telemetric collar on its Facebook profile.

Since monitored by us wolf Geralt visited this area, we contacted the administration of the forest district. It turned out that the place and time in which the wolf was photographed matched the locations sent to us by Geralt’s telemetry collar!

The photo was taken by Paweł Senderek, who was working at a wood yard in the forest that day. Around 13:00 Geralt approached the above composition for about 15 meters, stood for a while, and then left. He was alone, but a few days later other forestry workers saw other wolves (without a collar) in the same area.

Immediately after this meeting, Geralt walked 7 km to the east within an hour, but returned to the same area after a few days. We hope that soon we will have the opportunity to give you more information about the life of Geralt, who apparently settles in this area, despite the fact that other wolves live here.

 

Author: Roman Gula



Miejsce spotkań wilków

A new place for wolf meetings in the Daleszyce Forests

A new place for wolf meetings in the Daleszyce Forests

This fall, we managed to find a new meeting place (the so-called rendez-vous) of a family group of wolves from the Daleszyce Forest, which currently has 11 individuals.

The new rendez-vous is located in old pine trees adjacent to mid-forest swamps. It is located approximately 1.5 km in a straight line from the previous year’s meeting place. On site, we found 4 fresh lairs with wolf hair, a lot of wolf droppings (over 30), scratching (characteristic of wolves marking the area), a gnawed leg of a deer and single “wolf toys” in the form of e.g. bottles with traces of wolf teeth.

Both this year’s rendez-vous and the one from last winter have similar features. They are located in old pine trees, without a high undergrowth, thanks to which wolves have good visibility of the nearest area. They also include dry parts of the forest where wolves can rest in lairs. Both rendez-vous also adjoin wet alder forests and reeds where wolves can quickly take refuge in case of danger.

An interesting fact is that the current meeting place is located in the immediate vicinity of a used forest road, on both sides of it.

Authors: Tomasz Bracik, Mariusz Wlazło



Wilk Geralt

Geralt settled in the east?

20. January 2023| Wolf protection, Poland, Wolf Geralt

Geralt settled in the east?

Geralt the wolf has stopped running further east – is this the end of his journey?

For two months now, Geralt has been penetrating the areas south-east of Zamość. At that time, he made several short trips just beyond the Polish-Ukrainian border. However, he always returned to the same area near Tomaszów Lubelski. There are not many forests there, but Geralt seems to like the forest and field landscape.

Or maybe what keeps Geralt in this area are the attractive she-wolves? The locations indicate that Geralt may have already lured one and now they wander together, looking for a suitable territory. We’ll find out as soon as some snow falls.

Author: Roman Gula



Mikrofon paraboliczny

How we record a wolf howl

How we record a wolf howl

We tested our new microphone, thanks to which we will be able to eavesdrop on wolf conversations even better!

The Hi-Sound Stereo Parabolic microphone from Dodotronic (dodotronic.com) is working great so far. We were able to clearly record with it even those sounds that could not be heard at all with the naked ear! During the listening session it turned out that not only wolves were recorded, but also other forest creatures, whose presence we were not even aware of.

We hope that in the summer we will be able to register new generations of wolves from the surrounding forests!

In the meantime, we invite you to listen to the full comment of our wolf pack: https://youtu.be/dQLuiYqrsWw



Jak wilk Gagat pokonał A4

Gagat did not pass over A4, but... under!

13. January 2023| Wolf protection, Poland, Wolf Gagat

Gagat did not pass over A4, but... under!

A few days ago we had the opportunity to check how Gagat managed to overcome the A4 motorway. We went to the Opolskie Voivodeship and followed the route of our Świętokrzyskie wolf.

Gagat was looking for a passage on a very long, 87-kilometre section of the A4 from Wrocław to Opole. In large part, these are agricultural areas, with a small forest complex south-west of Opole.

There are several passages for large animals throughout this stretch, but Gagat was unlucky and did not find them. It was very close to some of them, for example to the upper passage near Ochodze. As you can see in the photos (below), this crossing is a kind of highway over highway, for roe deer, wild boar and red deer.

Gagat also camped for quite a long time 1200 meters from the overpass near the village of Rzędziwojowice. Here, access to the passage was blocked by large fish ponds.

After these failures, the young wolf headed north-west and reached as far as Wrocław. He found the passage only on his way back, near Przylesie. For several hours he camped in the bushes along the Przyleski Stream, and then between 10:00 pm and 12:00 pm, wandering along the stream, he crossed the A4 culvert through which the stream flows under the motorway. An hour later he was 7 km away. He must have run faster to dry off!

Author: Roman Gula




Sikający wilk - rysunek - Jacek Major

Marking by wolves - a family from the Iłża Forest

12. January 2023| Wolf protection, Movies, Poland

Marking by wolves - a family from the Iłża Forest

Wolves leave scent marks on the paths they take when patrolling territory. They are also very eager to mark at intersections of forest roads. We were able to record this behavior on a photo trap.

In the video, we see a male leaving his scent trail, peeing on a clump of plants in a characteristic pose and scratching the soil. A second, young male does exactly the same thing, leaving his scent trail, which mixes with the scent probably left by his brother. Males mark more often than females. After urine marking, we see the male marking the area by what is called scratching. Scratching with the hind paws leaves a characteristic triangular mark on the ground, as well as a secretion of scent glands located between the toes. Thus, by scratching the ground, the wolf leaves an additional scent trail.

Why do wolves mark the ground?  In this particular area, people often walk with dogs and wolves mark on the scent marks left by the dogs. Scent marking is a form of communication between wolves of the same family, but also a warning to strange wolves. In this case, therefore, it is a warning to dogs.

We can observe urine marking and scratching throughout the year, but it intensifies during the breeding season. Then the scent information package includes information not only about the individual, its sex, but also about its reproductive status.

Author: Jacek Major



Czechy

Wolf Gagat visits the Czech Republic

11. January 2023| Wolf protection, Poland, Wolf Gagat

Wolf Gagat visits the Czech Republic

After leaving Prague, Gagat turned east. He walked along the large road E67 for some time, but decided not to cross it and rather quickly changed direction to the south.

After three days, Gagat found a trail that took him to Prague, thus closing the loop.

Over the next three days, he followed his tracks almost 90 km to the east. Then, for some unknown reason, he turned around and followed the old trail again, west. It stopped only in the Žďárské vrchy, whose highest peaks rise to more than 800 meters.

In the forests covering these mountains, Gagat certainly has something to hunt – the locations indicate that he has tried at least a few times. However, the most important thing for Gagat is whether there are wolves, or rather she-wolves!

Author: Roman Gula



Pies pasterski i owce

Wolf damage in Podkarpacie in 2022

Wolf damage in Podkarpacie in 2022

Summary of damage caused by wolves in 2022 in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship.

In 2022, there were 154 wolf attacks on livestock and pets for which compensation is paid. As there were 149 attacks in the previous year, 2021, and 143 in 2020, it can be said that the number of wolf damages in Podkarpacie remains constant. Let us recall that in earlier years there were more claims: 185 in 2019 and 177 in 2017.

Among the species of domestic and livestock animals most often attacked by wolves in 2022 were sheep (78), followed by cattle (45), horses (5), purebred dogs (16), goats (5) and fallow deer and farm deer (5). In addition, during the attacks of wolves on animals, property in the form of an electric fence and a dog kennel was damaged.

In 2022, there were also 207 notifications regarding the so-called conflict situations, such as killed non-pedigree dogs in buildings (55 reports), wolves staying between buildings or in close proximity to people, or wolves eating red deer or roe deer in built-up areas. From the information that reaches us indirectly, it can be concluded that the number of non-pedigree dogs killed by wolves is higher, but the owners do not report them, because they are not entitled to compensation.

Author: Hubert Fedyń, RDOŚ in Rzeszów



Wilk Gagat w Pradze

Gagat's visit to Prague, Czech Republic

3. January 2023| Wolf protection, Poland, Wolf Gagat

Gagat's visit to Prague, Czech Republic

The Polish wolf from the Świętokrzyska Forest continues its journey through the Czech Republic.

After a short rest in the Świtawska Upland, Gagat initially headed south, but turned west near the village of Banin. For the next five days he continued in this direction until, near the town of Ledeč nad Sázavou, he reached the highway connecting Prague with Brno.

Similarly to the Polish A4, the Czech E50 motorway stopped the wolf’s further journey to the west. On the map you can see the roads marked with yellow lines that stopped (at least temporarily) Gagat’s dispersion. Insufficient number of animal crossings or their location in the wrong place has a strong impact on the migration of many animal species. This is particularly evident in the example of Gagat’s attempts to cross the A4 motorway – it took him about 2 weeks to find the right place.

After reaching the E50, Gagat changed course and headed north-west along the motorway. In this way… he reached the outskirts of Prague! He even spent the night in a small forest at Praga 21, but he probably didn’t like the urban environment, because he retreated back east, where he tried to hunt something in the fields. Let’s hope he succeeded. Where will our Świętokrzyskie wolf go next?

*Gagat is a young wolf in the process of dispersion (migration), wandering in search of a suitable place to set up a home. He wears a GPS collar that allows us to track his steps and which was founded on the initiative of the constantly supporting us Suchedniów Forest District and Regional Directorate of State Forests in Radom by forest districts: Barycz, Daleszyce, Kielce, Skarżysko, Starachowice, Stąporków and Suchedniów. 💚

Author: Roman Gula