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European wolf population in the Czech republic

Discussion in 'Wildlife & Nature Conservation' started by Jana, 9 Oct 2016.

  1. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I have found this footage of Slovak wolves (Tatry mountains). It has no English subtitles but still nice pics I think.

    Vlcia svorka.mpg
     
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  2. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Very intresting Jana and because I have some Slovakian friends which live very close to the High Tatry Mountains I send them the video and they were very happy with it, also from them again : Thanks alot !
     
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  3. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    First map of Czech wolf territoties has been published! According to estimates, we have ca 70 wolves that have at least small part of their territory in our country.

    Reddish - packs with cubs
    Bluegray - bonded pairs
    Black - established individual wolf
    Darker areas on map show forests.

    Subspecies are: two Carpathian packs along eastern border, one single Alpine male on soutwest border together with female Alpine/Lowland (his daughter). All remaining animals are Lowland (Polish-German) so far. Hybrids of wolf female and domestic dog (near German border) seem to be all eliminated now.
    [​IMG]
     
  4. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  5. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  6. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Some good and bad news from South Bohemia:

    Within national park Šumava (and German national park on the other side of the border), 2 packs with small cubs have been found recently. Near Srní and near Železná Ruda.

    However, on Czech/Austrian border, no pack is living anymore. 2 packs used to breed there in 2018/2019, but all animals disappeared without trace in short period. Most probably hunted illegally. Actually Austria lost all but 1 pack this winter and that one surviving pack lives in military training place so is protected because it is unaccessible to general public.
     
  7. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Good news this time, we have another wolf pack. Within artillery training area in Doupovské Hory mountains (thus well protected from disturbance and illegal hunting). The female has been collared by Austrians in her family pack in Allensteig (army training place in Lower Austria) so her journey to find a new home has been well monitored. She had cubs this summer.
    [​IMG]
     
  8. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I do wish national and international authorities would put more emphasis on forensics and law enforcement to get the trigger happy hunting fraternity or any diabolical mind ready to shoot a wolf because it is a wolf.

    I would like to think Šumava and Bayerische Wald will remain safe havens for the growing wolf population in Central Europe. Equally, encouraging is that the establishment of a new pack in Doupovské Hory.
     
  9. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    This time bad news. An adult female wolf has been hit and killed by a car in a village 40km east of Prague (on west outskirt of Pardubice town). She was pregnant or fresh mother, planned post-mortem and genetic testing will reveal more.

    This is rather far away from any known wolf pack territory. So we lost a new pack before it could even form.

    [​IMG]
     
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  10. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Thats realy a pitty... :( !
     
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  11. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Some update. Here is map of our wolf territories from season 2019/2020, grey is pair, reddish is pack:
    [​IMG]

    And some videos. Here, 6 cubs of Výsluní-pack (Czech-Saxonian border), one of them with broken leg


    Smaller cubs in Beskydy pack, first cubs for this family (near Slovak border)


    Playful yearling is greeting its audience, aka boredom in Krušné Hory
     
  12. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    A map of wolf teritories for season 2020/2021 - we now have 18 packs and 4 pairs.
    [​IMG]
    Compared with previous season, numbers went up only a little. This hints at high pressure by illegal killing of wolves. I find it curous that all packs that establish on Austrian border dissapear within a season or two, always. Also, Jeseníky mountains in NE has no territorial wolfs, ever, despite large area of forests and high stock of wild ungulates - makes no sense unless all newcommers are dealt with quickly by locals.
     
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  13. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Looking at the map it's realy strange that all Wolves are found near the borders and not anywhere inland !?
     
  14. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Those montanous regions with a lot of forests have low density of humans - because it is regions around the border than had majority German population that was expulsed/genocided after end of WWII (3 mio people). Wolves come also into more densely inhabited lowland regions in the middle of the country but human pressure (illegal hunt und roads) is too strong for them to settle down so far.
     
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  15. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    The Pardubice road kill is a case in point. It is strange no dead wolves are recovered from central Czech Republic at all. I am loathe to trust the hunting community though.

    Is it not critical to have better national protection and conservation education for wolves, bears and lynxes living alongside mankind and livestock? As well as large healthy ungulate populations and its double standards relationship to hunting fraternity being one of potential conflict of interests and possibly - like in Germany where illegal killings do take an unacceptable no. of wolves each year too -.

    What state is law enforcement and judicial departement at? How vigorously are EU Habitat regulations and EU wide protections enforced here?

    How big is the support for wolf restoration and conservation in Czech Republic? How engaged is the nature conservation community with the general public.
     
    Last edited: 12 Feb 2022
  16. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    In September 2022, a male wolf cub was found by a group of tourists, after probable car accident in West Czechia, within known territory of one local wolf pack. He was exhausted, dehydrated and both his hip bones were broken, he was fully lethargic and could be moved in hands. He got picked up by staff of rescue wildlife station Bublava.
    Video of transport to vet
    [​IMG]

    His story got famous fast and public nicknamed him Bubla. Within days, general public sent donations exceeding 100.000 euro to cover veterinary care. He got trasfered to a top vet clinic in Prague and underwent several surgeries. Then wildlife rescue station Vlašim took him in for post-surgery rehabilitation. He recovered, he got a genetic test to assure he belongs to local pack, he got a gps-collar and has been released few days ago. First data show he stays within his pack territory.
    Krušnohorský vlk Bubla se nakonec vrátil do přírody

    And here, latest available map of wolf territories within our country. It shows 2020/2021 season. (previous link got deleted)
    [​IMG]
     
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  17. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Good news. Last summer, presumably second wolf packs have colonized Krkonoše - a mountain range on Czech-Polish border. One older pack on Polish side of these mountains and one new pack on Czech side.

    Krkonoše national park is 360 km2 big and sees 13.000.000 tourists a year. Considering areas around it under lower protection status but also low agriculture utilisation and less mass tourism, we might hope for 1-2 additional packs in future.

    Article
     
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  18. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Šumava national park has published their census from last year. Total of 6 wolf territories were present while in 5 of them they saw cubs born. Genetical samples and tracking hints at 36 wolves in this region.

    The only non-breeding pack last year was near Srní with 3-5 adult animals. This is the oldest pack in Šumava, established already in 2017, by a male from Alps and female from Poland. And also pretty funny situation. National park office runs some animal exhibits in differnt places so that tourists can see elusive animal species easily. In Srní, it runs a tourist information center and adjoining 3 hectares (7 acres) wolf exhibit with a large captive pack. And wild wolves keep a territory that encompases this exhibit in the middle. They play howling games with the captive pack at night.

    Source
     
  19. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    First wolf pack has established itself in Žďárské Vrchy CHKO (protected landscape area, with far lower level of protection than a national park) in central Czech republic. The male is well known, his name is Gagat, was born and got GPS collared in 2021 in Poland near city Kielce - just google "vlk Gagat" to see his story. Gagat migrated over half of Czechia back and fort this winter in search of a teritorium, he even slept one day within Prague city limits. The female is not announced, but probably also of Polish origin.

    Source

    And latest info from Český Les (Böhmerwald) - most probably third wolf pack got established in hills there, some locals saw cubs. That would increase pack count to 9 along the whole border between Czechia and Bavaria.
     
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