From the NL Times in the Netherlands:
Fifteen wolves have found territory in the Netherlands, including four pairs that may have cubs later this year. At least another eleven roaming wolves have passed through the country in recent months. Between mid-February and the end of April, two wolves were hit by cars and died, and a third may have been killed by a person, according to a quarterly report by BIJ12, the agency that handles wolf damage for the provinces.
Between mid-February and May, wolves attacked 54 farm animals. Most of the farm animals were killed. BIJ12 received 897 reports of wolves or traces of a wolf. In 313 cases, the wolf sighting was confirmed based on DNA or camera images.
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Italy: Returning wolves could save Rome from the herds of wild boar invading the city, say wildlife experts
From Business Insider:
Italy’s capital, Rome, is being overrun by wild boars. But instead of man-made solutions to the troublesome invasion on four trotters, nature could come to the rescue of harassed Romans thanks to the return of wolves to the city’s fringes, experts told The Times.
The newspaper writes that there could be thousands of boars wandering the streets of Rome, scaring the citizens and devouring piles of rubbish left on the roads.
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Bring back wolves, lynxes to Britain and Ireland, study urges
From DowntoEarth.org:
Should large predators such as wolves, lynxes and bears, that once roamed the British Isles and large parts of continental Europe, be returned to these areas? The question has been an emotive one, with strong positions for and against such an action. Now, a new study by Queens University, UK, and Cornell University, United States, has scientifically justified the return of such animals.
Restoring native predator populations could help to keep in check some of the most problematic invasive species around the world, the new study said.
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Fifteen wolves settled in Netherlands; 11 visited
From the NL Times in the Netherlands:
Fifteen wolves have found territory in the Netherlands, including four pairs that may have cubs later this year. At least another eleven roaming wolves have passed through the country in recent months. Between mid-February and the end of April, two wolves were hit by cars and died, and a third may have been killed by a person, according to a quarterly report by BIJ12, the agency that handles wolf damage for the provinces.
Between mid-February and May, wolves attacked 54 farm animals. Most of the farm animals were killed. BIJ12 received 897 reports of wolves or traces of a wolf. In 313 cases, the wolf sighting was confirmed based on DNA or camera images.
Click here for the full story.
Rare wolf attack on baby foxes found on Isle Royale
From the Great Lakes Echo:
For the first time, scientists have documented an adult wolf killing red fox kits in their den.
The event occurred in Isle Royale National Park, where researchers found evidence that an adult male wolf known as 016M attacked the kits, killing and possibly feeding on at least two of them – and possibly also killing a third littermate.
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Washington State gives green light to kill Togo wolves following cattle attacks
From The Wenatchee World in Wenatchee, Washington:
SPOKANE — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will attempt to kill up to two wolves in the Togo pack area following repeated attacks on cattle.
WDFW Director Kelly Susewind authorized the killing of one to two wolves on Monday. The killings are “not expected to harm the wolf population’s ability to reach the statewide or local recovery objective,” according to an agency news release.
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DNA study offers third theory on origin of extinct Japanese wolf
From The Asahi Shimbun:
The Japanese wolf, last seen in 1905, was a cross between a giant variant and an unknown variant, scientists said in a theory that differs from two existing hypotheses on the mysterious creature.
The team of researchers from the University of Yamanashi, the National Museum of Nature and Science and other institutions said their conclusion is based on ancient DNA studies and could settle the long-lasting controversy over the wolf.
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An iconic American endangered species is at the heart of a political war in Wisconsin
From Inverse.com:
MAYBE IT WAS THE HEAT THAT AFTERNOON IN MADISON, or maybe it was sheer exhaustion as the meeting approached its sixth hour. Either way, tempers were flaring.
The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, a politically appointed body that advises the state’s natural resources agency, met on Aug. 11, 2021, to debate a seemingly narrow question: How many wolves should hunters be allowed to kill during the upcoming hunting season?
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Elusive Himalayan wolves emerge on the slopes of Everest
From The Third Pole:
On a fine morning in April 2022, Mount Everest can be seen clearly from the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park office in Namche, northeastern Nepal, the snow from its peak evaporating to form a thin layer of cloud. Bishnu Rokaya, the park’s assistant conservation officer, has little time for the beauty on display as he flips through the pages of their latest annual report. He points to a passage stating that, “from mid-2020 to mid-2021, over three hundred livestock [animals] were killed by wild animals in the park and its buffer zone areas, for which we have paid the communities a sum of over 9 million rupees [USD 85,000 USD] as compensation for their losses.”
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Stress Management Helped Wolves Become Dogs
From Scientific American:
The wolf relatives of modern-day dogs began the evolutionary process of becoming humans’ best friends more than 10,000 years ago. But despite more than a century of research, scientists still do not know the full story of how and why dog domestication occurred in the first place. Now a new study published on Thursday in Scientific Reports reveals genetic changes that may have allowed ancient dogs to feel comfortable around humans by lowering the stress levels the animals experienced in our presence.
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The Washington Outdoors Report: State officials not sharing about dead wolves
From The Goldendale Sentinel in Washington:
Four wolves were found dead in Stevens County this winter in northeast Washington, but officials with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are saying very little about the incident.
The wolves were discovered by two Stevens County Sheriff’s deputies on February 18 while they were patrolling the area of Churchill Mine Road a few miles south of the Canada border on snowmobiles. The deputies examined and photographed the animals and noted seeing no blood or bullet holes. They reported their findings to WDFW that day.
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