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🇧🇪 Belgium /Environment & Climate

Wolf Emma may have found a new mate in Belgium's Kempen

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Wolf Emma, which has lived in the northern Kempen for several years, appears to have formed a pair with an unidentified male.
  • Camera footage showed the two wolves marking territory together, leading researchers to believe the male intends to remain in the region.
  • A new pack could increase the risk to small livestock, prompting stronger calls for wolf-resistant fencing.

Wolf Emma may no longer be living alone in Belgium's northern Kempen. The Flemish Institute for Nature and Forest Research, known as INBO, says camera footage showed her marking territory with a new male wolf.

Based on camera images from Emma's habitat, we saw that Emma and this new wolf were marking their territory together.

— Koen Van MuylemThe INBO researcher described the evidence that the two wolves may form a pair.

The male has not yet been identified or given a name. INBO researcher Koen Van Muylem said the behavior suggests the wolf plans to stay in the region. Emma has encountered several male wolves in recent years, but none remained for long.

For people living nearby, the immediate situation is not expected to change much. That could be different if the pair forms a pack, particularly once pups are born. Younger pups cannot yet find food for themselves, and older wolves may then choose easier prey, including small livestock.

We are reasonably certain that this wolf plans to stay in this region.

— Koen Van MuylemHe explained what the joint territorial marking indicates.

Van Muylem said the warning to protect small livestock with wolf-resistant fencing has therefore become more pressing. Emma settled in the northern part of Antwerp province in 2023. She was born in 2022 as the tenth pup of the Limburg wolf pair Noëlla and August. Noëlla died in March.

Especially when the pups are still young and cannot find their own food, the older animals are more likely to choose easy prey.

— Koen Van MuylemHe warned that a future pack could pose a greater risk to small livestock.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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