Livestock

Wolves return to Czech Republic

According to recently published information, a wolf image was captured using photocamera trap in Northern Bohemia, Czech Republic. The feared animal was crossing a wooded clearing in a former military training area, about hundred years after the predator disappeared from the area. It is the first evidence of the Wolves return to the Czech Republic.

“The return of wolves in northern Bohemia has been anticipated for years. In recent years, the wolves showed in the Giant Šluknovsko or where they came from Saxony. There were trustworthy proves of wolf using crossing the Czech-German border in the autumn of 2012. The territory of our border Mountains and military space provides sufficient space to life for the wolves. It was just a matter of time before the establish pack again in Czech Republic”

says Miroslav Kutal, an expert on the protection of large carnivores from Hnuti Duha, one of our partner NGOs.

Wolf image captured by camera trap in Northern Bohemia, Czech Republic
Wolf image captured by camera trap in Northern Bohemia, Czech Republic

The return of the wolves is a process, which should be further encouraged. Wolves play an important ecological role through for instance regulating the deer population. However there are evidences from other countries such as for instance Spain that the species draw tourists to the area. Our friends at Hnuti Duha are of course concerned though of the arrival of poachers.

Our Society was very glad to hear about the successful comeback of wolves to Czech Republic. We sincerely hope that this process won’t stop at the return of one single adult, but will eventually lead to spreading the species across the country.”

adds Zoltan Kun, Chairman of the European Wilderness Society.

More information about Hnuti Duha’s work on the return of the Wolves to Czech Republic is here.

5 thoughts on “Wolves return to Czech Republic

  • Dear Mr. Zoltan Kun,

    Thank you for your answer.
    Here it is a link to the project Monitoring of Large Carnivores in SCI Beskydy (in Czech language):

    With wild and warm regards

    Pavel Reich
    chairman of ngo FOREST – Research and Protection of Wilderness

  • Dear Mr. Reich,
    We are glad of receiving comments and guiding our attention to professional conservation projects. We will of course call the attention of Hnuti Duha to your comment and we hope to receive a response, which will of course be posted here
    Our society is glad to cooperate with conservation professionals who share our vision of more wilderness in Europe.
    We will be in touch, Wild regards, Zoltan KUN

  • Dear Peter,
    Thank for this additional information. Indeed it is clear that there is not yet an established wolf pack. We hope there will soon be at least one. Zoltan

  • Dear friends of wolves,

    You should know that Hnuti DUHA and Miroslav Kutal have nothing in common with the return of wolves to Bohemia. Wolves are coming to Ralsko (northern part of Bohemia) thanks to the conservation of wolves in Germany. It is shameful how Hnuti DUHA try to use this information as their own success. Hnuti DUHA is a very controversial organization in the Czech Republic. They steal data and copyrights of other organizations and persons. Members of Hnuti DUHA intentionally disrupted a professional project “Monitoring of Large Carnivores in SCI Beskydy”. Not only for this they were excluded from the professional project. You can obtain some information about those controversial activities of Hnutí DUHA from management of the project “Monitoring of Large Carnivores in SCI Beskydy”. You can contact Institute for Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic or CSOP Salamandr.
    Hnuti DUHA totally failed in the conservation of large carnivores in the Czech Republic.

  • I am currently in Czech Republic and we heard about this camera trap recording – but it needs a bit of perspective! The news thus far does not mean an established pack or even breeding of a couple, as wolves are constantly on the move over great distances. We were in the Czech zone of Beskady Mtns on the Slovak border last month – and the mountain chalet had amazing photos of wolves at a carcass, also from a camera trap, but in daytime – within the state boundary, but not breeding.

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