A third pack of wolves has settled in the High Fens, the Walloon government service SPW (Service Public de Wallonie) announced on Wednesday. The so-called “southern pack of the High Fens” consists of at least four cubs.
The new pack was tracked down thanks to photo research, genetic analyzes and clues on the ground. According to the experts of the SPW wolf network, a male from “the northern pack of the High Fens” has settled on the edge of the parental territory and has “captured” a female that was “on the way”. The pair’s young, identified too far from other packs, led to the conclusion that there was a new pack.
The nature reserve now includes the southern and northern packs of the High Fens, each of which has at least four cubs, and the “northern Eifel” pack. The latter group contains at least four youngsters. The discovery of a third pack has no impact on the wolves’ zone of permanent presence (ZPP), because the animals have settled less than 20 kilometers from the parental territory.
This summer there were only three attacks on herds. Five sheep were killed. When the first pack settled in 2021, eight attacks were recorded with a total of 31 victims.
The SPW also announced that a wolf was killed on a Walloon road on September 5. Genetic analyzes showed that the animal came from the second litter of the northern pack of the High Fens.
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