Environment

More wolves were seen, pack numbers remain steady

The amount of wolves spotted in the Netherlands has also grown, but the count in the total number of wolf packs is still the same, according to monitoring organization BIJ12. From October through February, DNA tracking detected 85 individual wolves, 41 of them new to the cameras. The vast majority are young cubs from the country's 11 existing wolf packs — a number that has remained steady since last year.

Cross-Border Roaming Increases the Numbers of the Wolves
In the winter wolves also migrate to the Netherlands from Belgium and Germany, leading to the increase in the total number of unique individual wolves. According to BIJ12, there are currently between 104 and 124 wolves in the country. These numbers are drawn from DNA evidence and livestock attack reports.

More Sightings and Attacks on Livestock
Between October and February, there were 2,076 reports of wolf sightings, among which 858 have been confirmed by additional evidence. Over this period there were 505 reports of wolves attacking livestock – by DNA testing, 461 were confirmed. Dogs were determined to be the assailants in the rest of the cases. At least 12 wolves were killed in traffic accidents, with Gelderland province, where roads have been particularly perilous for the animals, bearing the brunt of the death toll.