Wolves with symptoms of scabies
We registered wolves with clear symptoms of infection with Sarcoptes scabiei, a skin parasite that also attacks humans.
In January this year, I registered for the first time three wolves with scabies symptoms in the Lipie forest complex. They appeared later several times on the recordings from photo traps which we placed in this area. They were probably young wolves from last year’s litter.
Despite the signs of infection – a shedding coat and tail – they showed no signs of poor condition or a more severe course of the disease. They registered in the company of adult wolves who did not show signs of infection. They were probably aided in their survival by the not-so-harsh winter. We observed two of them again in March – they managed to survive the worst period, so they have a good chance to fight the infection which is not always fatal for wolves.
Author: Jacek Major