Noëlla and August, two wolves regularly spotted in Belgium, are expecting cubs, according to experts of the Agency for Nature and Forests.
Both wolves are often spotted in the Flemish province of Limburg. Noëlla showed up on images for the first time around Christmas 2019, August has been in Belgium since the summer.
"Thanks to recent images from the Agency for Nature and Forests, I am proud to announce that wolf Noëlla and wolf August are expecting wolf cubs," wrote Flemish Minister for Environment Zuhal Demir on her Facebook page. "The wait for the birth of the cubs will not take long," she added.
"The pictures show that the belly of the animal is a bit rounder," said the Agency. "The pictures are recent, and a pregnancy for wolves takes about 2 months. So we expect 4 to 5 cubs within the next month. If all goes well, there will be a first pack of wolves in Flanders. Now we give the couple peace and quiet,” it added.
The cubs stay in a number of nesting places for the first few months, so the public will likely not get to see them yet, not even on images. Additionally, there is no guarantee that all the cubs will make it.
"After the summer we will only be able to say with certainty how big the pack will be," the Agency added.
The news follows an increasing number of reports of wolf-sightings in Belgium, with the country even being called an "intersection for wolves in Europe."
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
