The wolf pack in the Bolesławiec Forest District consists of 8–9 individuals. Other wolf family groups live near Dobra (east of the Kwisa), west of the river near Krępnica (the training ground), in the Przemków–Chocianów heathlands, and at the training ground in Świętoszów.
Scientists from the Association for Nature “Wolf,” examining the predators’ droppings, identified 30 genotypes. This is the basis for knowledge about the wolf population in the Lower Silesian Wilderness. Researchers estimate that four packs and several solitary wolves live there. Each group occupies an area of 250 to 300 km², defending its territory only against other wolves.
The first wolves were observed in our forests in 2007. Since then, the Association for Nature “Wolf” has received 930 reports, including from village residents, mushroom pickers and foresters, about wolves being seen.
“Some heard howling, others noticed wolf droppings, still others found a wolf den, or even saw a wolf itself,” says Dr Sabina Pierużek-Nowak the Association’s president. “We reply to emails and respond to every such report received from local residents.”
Where did these wolves come from?
The wolves came to our area from eastern Poland, including the Białowieża Forest, the Augustów Forest and the Sądecki Beskid Mountains. This means that the predator has no problem crossing a large river such as the Vistula.
“Wolves not only cross the Vistula easily; some reach the Lower Silesian Wilderness from Germany, crossing the Lusatian Neisse,” explains the association’s president.
At the end of the 20th century, wolves mainly inhabited forests east of the Vistula. They were scarce in the western part of the country. There was plenty of hoofed game here, which is the predator’s staple diet, but people drove the wolves away. Hunters and poachers hunted them. The development of roads also worked against them, and they were often killed in collisions.
“After wolves were placed under species protection, their population in western Poland began to recover. They are gradually returning to forest complexes from which people had driven them out,” explains Pierużek-Nowak. “As they migrate, they seek new mates and unoccupied territory where they can reproduce freely. Training grounds are particularly suitable for them—places that people visit very rarely.”
Wolves do not eat people, but they do smell them
Although wolves in crowded forests are exposed to constant contact with people, direct encounters with these animals are rare. This shows that predators avoid people and do not pose a threat to them. Wolves merely observe the intruder—most often mushroom pickers, because autumn mushroom-picking coincides with the period when the young are born.
“Fear of wolves is unjustified,” Pierużek-Nowak reassures. “When people are present, a wolf responds by moving its young and digging another den. We examined more than 400 droppings, and there were no human remains in them. Wolves do not eat people,” the Association’s president jokes.
The Association’s website does, however, offer advice on what to do if someone encounters a wolf and the animal does not immediately flee. A wolf may watch a person. Such behavior is not a sign of aggression. Wolves are intelligent and curious. They see differently from humans (they cannot distinguish colors, and their vision is less sharp) and need more time to assess what kind of object they are dealing with. They rely mainly on their sense of smell, which is far more developed. Therefore, they usually wait until a scent reaches their nostrils and then leave. In such situations, remain calm and wait until the wolf moves away.
Wolves rarely contract rabies, but caution should nevertheless be exercised, and veterinary services as well as the Association for Nature “Wolf” should be notified immediately about individuals behaving unnaturally. The Association also collects all information about dead wolves found (it determines the cause of death and, if poaching is detected, attempts to identify the perpetrator and have them punished).
(information: Grażyna Hanaf / SdN "Wilk")