Black Wolves in Poland
- weissangie121
- Feb 22
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 5
Recently, a news report caught my attention regarding a rare sighting of a black wolf in Poland. While the presence of wolves in Poland is relatively common, the colour of this particular wolf is unusual. Polish wolves primarily belong to the Canis lupus species and are typically grey with red or black accents.
What’s So Special About Black Wolves?
The unusual sighting, captured last year by a video camera set up by Joanna Toczydłowska, the project coordinator for the SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund in Poland, has spurred the organisation to collect wolf scat in the forest. This effort aims to investigate the genetics of these black wolves. "It’s something new and unusual," Toczydłowska noted to The Associated Press.
In Poland, the wolf population is estimated at 2,500 to 3,000, predominantly grey with varying red or black shades. The black fur is seen in some wolves due to a unique genetic mutation linked to domesticated dogs dating back thousands of years. Such dark fur is quite rare in Europe, likely due to a decrease in genetic diversity, but it’s more prevalent in North America. In fact, half of the wolves in Yellowstone National Park have black fur.
Historically, wolves in Europe experienced a sharp decline in numbers, nearing extinction by the 1950s. Since the mid-1990s, legal protections have allowed their populations to rebound, although genetic diversity remains low due to the small number of individuals that survived before protection efforts started. The fact that black fur is rare in Europe presents an intriguing question: Could these unique wolves have originated in North America?
My Theory on How Black Wolves Were Found in Poland
Around 30% of Poland’s wolf population is considered transboundary, inhabiting Poland and neighbouring countries like Belarus and Ukraine. Genetic studies and geographic analyses have shown that wolves migrate along specific natural corridors. Given that adult wolves can travel up to 200 km in a single day and that zoos may keep black wolves because black wolves are rare, it’s plausible that these two escaped from a zoo in Ukraine. With the onset of the war three years ago, damaged zoos could have led to the escape of animals into the wild. These wolves could have easily adapted to live in the Polish forests, hunting game such as deer and elk, allowing them to thrive and possibly establish a new pack.
Thus, it isn’t a stretch to hypothesise that these black wolves might have originally been from Yellowstone and were housed in a Ukrainian zoo before finding their way to Poland, sparking an intriguing mystery.
Then again, perhaps the colour is nothing more than a genetic mutation, a throwback to the domestic dogs mentioned above. I will look out for the follow-up to this story and bring you all the updates.
Are Wolves Welcome in Europe?
For many years, wolves were seen as dangerous creatures. However, Jörn Theuerkauf mentions in his thesis, “Impact of Man on Wolf Behaviour in the Bialowieska Forest, Poland”, that peoples' perceptions now have softened from viewing them as "vile" to recognising them as "unjustly persecuted" animals. Since receiving full protection in 1998, wolf populations have been steadily increasing across Europe, with estimates suggesting that up to 19,000 wolves now roam the continent. Nations such as Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, and Spain are known to have significant populations, which have grown by approximately 25% in the last decade.
Wolves play a crucial role in ecosystems as apex carnivores. Their reintroduction into areas where they had previously disappeared, such as Yellowstone National Park in 1995, led to significant ecological changes. By controlling deer and elk populations, wolves facilitated the regrowth of vegetation, stabilised riverbanks, and improved habitats for various species, including eagles and beavers.
Unfortunately, wolves, as predators, pose challenges when they come into close proximity with livestock, leading to conflicts that can affect farmers' livelihoods.
In the Netherlands, the growing wolf population has prompted concerns among parents, especially following two incidents involving a wolf displaying “atypical and worrying” behaviour near a popular forest area close to Utrecht. I wonder what the wolved did. But I guess, when it comes to safety, nobody should wait until an accidental bite occurs before putting in place prevention measures.
Dutch MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen, a member of the Christian Reformed Political Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the EU Assembly, noted that the proximity of wolves has impacted children’s daily lives: “There are children who no longer cycle to school because of the wolves. We could not stand by and watch this problem get further and further out of control.”
I suppose wolves do pose a danger, especially to children who may be seen as prey. As wolf populations continue to grow, it becomes increasingly important for communities across Europe to find ways to coexist with these animals. This includes protecting livestock, managing wolf populations, and educating the public about the essential role that wolves play in the ecosystem.
So, in a typical human reaction to a hint of threat, European nations approved plans this Tuesday,18 February 2025, to scale back wolf protection. The EU decision lowered the status of wolves from “strictly protected” to “protected,” allowing people to use more measures to keep them at bay from farmers and the population. It is considered a victory for farmers. What it means is that it gives people the 'go-ahead' to shoot at wolves indiscriminately.
The European Union's proposal was adopted by the 50 parties to the Bern Convention, which is supposed to protect wildlife and habitat. The proposal sets up looser protection rules that will come into effect in March 2025 and allows nations to hunt wolves under specific circumstances. Is this the best way to protect the wolves and people?
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen backs the measures and said the outcome was “important news for our rural communities and farmers” who had a right to better protection of their livelihoods. An ardent fan of horses, von der Leyen had a pony that was killed by a wolf two years ago. Say no more.
Of course, environmentalists say the animal is far from a threat of extinction in most nations.
“The wolf is still endangered in many parts of Europe, and weakening its protection will only lead to further conflict and threaten its recovery,” said Ilaria Di Silvestre, regional director of policy at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Considering these developments, I understand why Joanna Toczydłowska would not disclose the location where she spotted the mysterious black wolves. It is for their protection against unscrupulous humans.
Finally, Here Are Some Fun Facts About Wolves
Wolves have about 200 million scent cells in their nose, while humans have only about 5 million.
Wolves can smell other animals more than one mile (1.6 kilometres) away.
Wolf gestation is around 65 days. Wolf pups are born both deaf and blind and weigh only one pound (around 500 g).
Wolves hunt in packs by stalking and attacking old, sick, or weak animals.
A wolf can eat up to 19 pounds (9kg) in one meal alone. This includes the bones, fur, and meat.
A single wolf can travel up to 124 miles (200 km) in 24 hours.
In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus were raised by wolves.
Wolves prey on elk, deer, moose, and other animals.
Wolves can hear up to six miles away in the forest.
A wolf's jaw has a crushing power of nearly 1500 pounds per square inch! (105 kg/cm2) Dogs have jaws with half that (750 psi or 53 kg/cm2) crushing power. This is significant because wolves weigh about the same as large German Shepherds.
Unlike other animals, wolves display a variety of distinctive facial expressions they use to communicate with each other and maintain pack unity. That is why you can feel it in your soul when a wolf looks at you.
What did you think of this article? Have you ever had the privilege of looking into the eyes of a wolf? Do you agree with the EU legislation to remove some of the protections for wolves? Let us know in the comments. We would love to hear from you. Also, leave a heart if you liked the article. Oh, and share this article with your friends. It will help us, and hopefully, they will also enjoy reading it.
Sources:
Commentaires