VIDEO: The first wolf in 200 years spotted in Krombeke near Poperinge

Edouard Geelhand of welcomewolf.be confirms that it is a wolf. Welkomwolf.be is the hotline for sightings of wolves. On Tuesday morning they received several reports, a video and three photos of a wolf near Krombeke – Westvleteren. Edouard Geelhand can also confirm that it is indeed a wolf.

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Perhaps a French wolf from the Alps

According to Edouard Geelhand, it is a tramp. A young animal, two years old at the most, that will not stay here. He also suspects that the wolf is a French wolf passing through. Not a copy from Limburg, otherwise it would have been on the radar of welcomewolf.be before.

A wolf travels up to 80 kilometers a day. It could well be that he comes from the Alps. An animal can easily cover that distance in ten days. Jan Loos, Geelhand’s colleague at welcomewolf.be, also confirms this. But the animal will not stay in West Flanders. At most, he suspects that the wolf can catch his breath here for a few days.

In any case, there is no resting area in West Flanders large enough to accommodate a pack of wolves. That is the case in central and northern Limburg. But even the Sonian Forest is not big enough for that.

Very exceptional

A wolf in West Flanders, that is very exceptional. According to the people of welcomewolf.be, the last sighting was more than 200 years ago. The Agency for Nature and Forests closely records wolf sightings per wolf year (which runs from the beginning of May to the end of April of the following calendar year). In recent years, for example, there have been hardly any sightings of a wolf in West and East Flanders. Well in Limburg and Antwerp. That is also why welcomewolf.be suspects that the wolf of Krombeke does not come from that Flemish pack.