More wolves spotted in Netherlands but pack numbers are stable

More wolves have been detected in the Netherlands but the number of packs appears to be levelling off, according to the organisation set up to monitor them.

BIJ12 recorded 85 different wolves through DNA tracking between October last year and February, 41 of them for the first time.

The cross-provincial authority said most of the new wolves were cubs from the 11 existing wolf packs. That number is unchanged since last year.

The winter months are also a time when more “roaming” wolves cross the border from Belgium and Germany, adding to the number of unique animals.

BIJ12 estimates that there are between 104 and 124 wolves altogether in the Netherlands, based on DNA samples and reports of attacks on livestock.

The majority of wolf packs are based in the Veluwe nature reserve, but wolves have also settled in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and the border region between Drenthe and Friesland.

During the five-month period some 2,076 sightings of wolves were made, 858 of which were confirmed on the basis of other evidence.

There were also more than 500 reports of farm animals being killed by wolves, 461 of which were confirmed by DNA testing. In other cases the culprit turned out to be a dog.

At least 12 wolves were killed in road collisions between October and February, with Gelderland’s roads proving to be the most treacherous for wolves.