Wildlife

Newly born wolf pups caught on tape on the Czech-Slovak border

In the small wolf pack, which settled on the Czech-Slovak border between Beskydy and Javorníky in 2018, a litter of wolf pups was born this spring, accounced by My Kysuce. This is the first confirmed reproduction of wolves in this area since their return in the 1990s. Before, wolf packs were only temporarly present in the region. The Beskydy Protected Landscape Area is actually the only place in the Czech Republic where all three large carnivores are present at the moment.

Wolf population is increasing

According to Peter Drengubiak from the Kysuce Protected Landscape Area Administration in Slovakia, the protection of the wolf is one of the priorities of the Protected Landscape Area. The protection of the wolf population applies all year round in almost the entire territory of the area. The increasing reproduction rate of wolfs in the Javorníky Mountains indicates the clear potential for the long-term settlement of wolf packs in this mountain range.

The Kysuce Protected Landscape Area contacted the relevant forestry authorities, which have the competence to influence the activities the hunting regime in Javorníky. The aim on one hand is to ensure wolf protection in Javorníky not just on paper but also directly in the field.
On the other hand, in the case of damage caused by the depredation on livestock, the Protected Landscape Area Administration offers farmers a helping hand in administering the damage. There is a compensation system put in place, with the precondition for approval that the farmers have to be registered livestock owners and most importantly, they have to implement proper livestock protection measures, such as fences and livestock guarding dogs.

Peter Drengubiak
Kysuce Protected Landscape Area Administration

Space for wolf, bear and lynx

In addition to the confirmed reproduction of wolves, the lynx population is also increasing successfully. For the sixth time in a row, the nine-year-old lynxes named Draža and Hermina gave birth, together with the first-time mother called Lucka. The monitoring of the population by GPS telemetry is part of the cross-border Interreg project 3Lynx. The Beskydy Protected Landscape Area is the only place in the Czech Republic where bear, wolf and lynx are present at the same time.

The sighting comes from the monitoring of the Olomouc local group of the Friends of the Earth Czech Republic. They were supported by other collaborators from the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic. Zoologists documented a few moments from the wolf’s hidden life in the field.

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