A young wolf stuck its snout to the window of a couple's home in the municipality of Dilsen-Stokkem (Limburg province), much to the displeasure of their cat.
The animal was seen in the middle of the street and in several gardens and likely got stuck in the built-up areas of Lanklaar and Dilsen, according to non-profit organisation Welkom Wolf. It is still unclear which pack it came from, but the non-profit was able to take a DNA sample from the window.
"This animal would have wanted just one thing at that moment: to leave the busy and dangerous built-up area as quickly as possible, in search of a quieter place," Welkom Wolf said on social media. "The animal was seen and photographed at several locations in Lanklaar and Dilsen this morning."
In the Europalaan in Dilsen, the young wolf even came up to the window of a house, "visibly fascinated by the cat that had fled inside a moment before."
Credit: Martin Severijns / Welkom Wolf
Whether the wolf is from the known pack in Limburg, or a stray from the Netherlands, Germany, the Ardennes or France, is not immediately clear.
Welkom Wolf went to the house to take a DNA sample from the layer of mucus the wolf's nose left on the window and fly screen. "If this wolf soon disappears from the radar, that thin layer is the only thing that could possibly reveal its identity."
The DNA samples have been delivered to the Institute for Nature and Forest Research (INBO). "Usually, wolf DNA is sampled from prey animals or fresh droppings. With the sampling of a window, Welkom Wolf is hoping for a European first."
Caught between two waterways?
Wolves normally leave their parental pack between eight and 22-months-old to search alone for a suitable habitat, with both sufficient peaceful nature and food. In time, they find a partner to establish their own pack.
The search for a partner can take over six months, during which the animal travels hundreds or thousands of kilometres, said Welkom Wolf. "It is the most stressful period in a wolf's life: all alone in the world, dangerous roads everywhere, hostile wolf packs and people, and barriers such as canals and rivers that are difficult to overcome."
This animal seems particularly troubled at the moment with the latter category, as it is (temporarily) caught in a "landscape trap" between the Meuse river and the Zuid Willemsvaart canal. "Importantly, these are not insurmountable barriers. The wolf will soon move on," Welkom Wolf said.
To the west of Dilsen-Stokkem, wolves from the Limburg pack have been seen before. While they regularly search the borders of their territory, they rarely come as far east as this wolf did – making it difficult to estimate whether this is a stray or a wolf from the Limburg pack.
