The wolf was spotted in Schilde on Friday morning. — © Welcome Wolf
The wandering wolf that walked through the streets of Sint-Job on Tuesday and was spotted in Brecht on Wednesday, turned up in Schilde on Friday morning.
A man driving to work early in the morning encountered the wolf. The animal walked on the street in the direction of Zoersel. There is photo evidence.
On Thursday there were several reports of a wolf at the A12/E19 traffic interchange in Antwerp North. The animal stood on the roadside and hesitated to cross, but retraced its steps. Apparently he then turned back to Schilde. This does mean that he had to cross the Dessel-Schoten canal again.
“We notice that it is a wolf that is careful and makes good use of human infrastructure such as roads and bridges,” says Aagje De Doncker of Landschap vzw/Welkom Wolf. “It must be frustrating for him that he keeps getting stuck in agglomerations.”
If the wolf follows the Anti-Tank Canal in Schilde, he can return to she-wolf Emma. Welcome Wolf calls on people not to chase the wolf or to actively search for it during the extended weekend. He or she is probably resting under a bush somewhere now. For the time being, no damage has been reported along the route that this wolf has been following for days, because it was first spotted wandering in Mol at the end of April and later in Hoogstraten. If it’s the same animal, that is.
“Most likely, this is a young wolf that manages to feed on game that is now abundant in the forests. She-wolf Emma was just the same. She only really started hunting sheep when a male wolf came into her territory.”
She-wolf Emma has been ‘single’ for a while now. There is a chance, if this wandering young wolf is a male, that it is a full brother of Emma, from another litter. “Wolves usually sense this and do not pair up,” says Aagje De Doncker. “But this wolf could just as easily come from the Netherlands, Germany, Poland or France. We don’t have DNA yet, precisely because he or she has not yet killed any small livestock along the way.”
Anyone who sees the wandering wolf can call 0495-32.57.88 so that Welcome Wolf can reconstruct the walking route. Or email via www. landscapevzw.be
(kma)
Tags: Wandering wolf spotted Antwerp North Thursday Schilde Friday morning dont actively Zandhoven
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