Wolf travels 2,000 km across Europe
A male Wolf born in Switzerland has undertaken the longest documented migration of the species in Europe.
One of a litter of six puppies born to the 'Stagias' pack in 2021, the male wolf 'M237' was captured by the Hunting and Fishing Office of the Canton of Grisons and fitted with a GPS transmitter on a collar at the end of March 2022.
Long-distance movements are important for connecting wolf populations (Marcel Langthim via Pixabay).
Young Wolves leave their pack between the age of one and three to find their own territory. Males tend to travel further than females. Long-distances movements are important for connecting populations, with a male wolf from Slovenia tracked to Italy in 2011, where it mated with a female from the Alpine population.
M237 remained with his pack until the end of June 2022, when it crossed the border into Italy. It spent 10 days in South Tyrol before moving into Austria then headed north-east, reaching Vienna, Austria, in October.
After wandering as far as the Danube, the Wolf made continued moving and headed south-east, crossing the Hungarian border in mid-February 2023 and progressing towards the Slovakian border.
During its journey, M237 crossed agricultural land, urban areas and mountains as high as 3,500 m, as well as numerous roads and railways. This individual's journey may continue even further – its recent position is not far from the Wolf population in the Carpathian Mountains.
