Wolves Hunt Juvenile European Bison in Poland
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- Wolves (seven individuals) pursued a herd of 11 European bison in Białowieża Forest, targeting a newborn calf, in a 20‑minute skirmish captured on a camera trap in September 2025.
- Robin Wijnands of the Polish Academy of Sciences said the footage surprised him because wolves have abundant other prey, highlighting the rarity of documented bison predation.
- European bison numbers have rebounded to roughly 9,000 individuals across Europe after reintroduction in the 1950s, but concerns remain about habitat damage and farmland impacts.
- Wolves have increased by 58 % in Europe over the past decade, expanding their potential impact on bison populations.
- Oswald Schmitz (Yale University) noted the low probability of a camera trap capturing such an interaction, calling the recording “lucky.”
- Researchers suggest that wolf predation could help stabilize bison numbers without causing a steep decline, though the frequency of such events is unknown.
Why it matters: Conservationists gain a rare data point on wolf‑bison interactions, potentially supporting natural regulation of the 9,000‑strong bison herd, while farmers and habitat managers may see reduced bison pressure on farmland and ecosystems; wolves benefit from an expanded prey base as their European numbers climb 58 %.
