Gagat did not pass over A4, but... under!
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
Marking by wolves - a family from the Iłża Forest
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
Wolf Gagat visits the Czech Republic
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
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
Gagat's visit to Prague, Czech Republic
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
Gagat crossed the Sudetes
Gagat crossed the Sudetes
Wolf from the Świętokrzyskie Mountains in the Sudetes
The Gagat wolf continues its journey to the southwest. After crossing the A4 highway, he reached the foothills of the Sudetes Mountains quite quickly. After a short rest, he continued on through the massif of Śnieżnik and stopped 4 km from its summit, at an altitude of 900 meters.
After a few hours of rest, he crossed the Sudetes and found himself in Moravia, in the catchment area of the Black Sea. Later, he changed direction to a more westerly direction and wandered to the Svitavvskaya Upland. There, in the hills near the town of Ceska Trebova, he stopped for a little longer, presumably to resupply.
It seems that the forests overgrowing these hills abound in animals, and Gagat’s locations indicate that he tried to hunt something there.
* Gagat is a young wolf in the process of dispersal (migration), looking for a place to raise a family. He wears a GPS collar so we can track his steps.
Author: Roman Gula
Gagat the wolf has crossed the A4!
Gagat the wolf has crossed the A4!
After several weeks of arduous search for passage, Gagat managed to cross the A4 highway!
Gagat crossed a local road overpass or a culvert under the highway near the village of Wierzbnik.
After crossing the A4, the wolf changed direction slightly to a more southerly direction and within a few hours was on the edge of the Sudety Mountains. Could it be that the wolf from the Świętokrzyskie Mountains is about to settle in the mountains…?
*Gagat is an approximately 2.5-year-old wolf in the process of dispersal (migration) looking for a place to start his own family.
Author: Roman Gula
Geralt of the Hog Lake (Wieprzowe Jezioro)
Geralt of the Hog Lake (Wieprzowe Jezioro)
Will the wolf from Świętokrzyskie settle in Roztocze?
After a renewed stay in Ukraine, the wolf Geralt has returned to the Tomaszów Lubelski area. His locations over the past few days indicate that he has taken a break in his eastward migration. He is penetrating the surrounding forests and hunting in the vicinity of a village with the original name of Wieprzowe Jezioro (Hog Lake). It is near the place where the sources of the Wieprz River flow out.
Most likely, it will soon become clear whether Wieprzowe Jezioro is just a temporary stop or the definitive end of the wolf’s migration from the Świętokrzyska Forest. We know that there are a lot of wolves in the Roztocze, and the strong wolf Geralt should be an attractive partner for the wolves there. What we’re not sure of, however, is whether there is still room for a new wolf family in the area.
* Geralt is an approximately 3-year-old wolf in migration (dispersal), wearing a GPS collar indicating his location to us.
Author: Roman Gula
Gagat wolf blocked by A4 freeway
Gagat wolf blocked by A4 freeway
After crossing the A1 highway, Gagat the wolf continued in a southwesterly direction.
After a few days, it reached the A4 highway, between Oława and Opole. Unfortunately, the A4 is an old highway with few animal crossings.
Gagat searched for two weeks for a crossing by wandering along the highway. He penetrated more than 90 kilometers of this road, from Wrocław to Gogolin. He even wandered as far as Wrocław itself – only turning back when he entered the Wysoka estate.
You often ask us if it is normal for wolves to appear on the outskirts of cities. Gagat’s behavior shows that it is – wolves during dispersal appear in places where you would hardly expect them.
In the section where Gagat seeks passage across the A4, there are few forests, and thus few places where he could rest and hunt something. So far, Gagat has been using small forest complexes near Dąbrowa and Lewin Brzeski for rest. It will be interesting to see if he manages to cross the A4, or if he will rather change the direction of his wanderings.
*Gagat is an approximately 2.5-year-old wolf in the process of dispersal, who is looking for a place to start his own family. He wears a GPS collar so we can track his steps.
Author: Roman Gula
Photo: Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad [GDDKiA]
About wolves at school in Szerzawy
About wolves at school in Szerzawy
On Wednesday, November 23, we had the pleasure of visiting an elementary school in Szerzawy.
A few days earlier, we received information that several wolves had passed near the school. Since the appearance of wolf visitors caused a stir among students and teachers, we were invited to lead a meeting about these unusual animals.
So we told about 90 kids from the youngest grades about wolves and our encounters with them. We explained the issues of whether one should be afraid of wolves and what to do if one encounters them.
The children showed great interest and involvement, and the final joint choral howling caused a lot of positive emotions!
Thank you for the invitation and for providing us with photos from the meeting. The meeting was hosted by Jacek Major.
