Belgium's First Wild Wolf In A Century Presumed To Have Been "Maliciously Killed"

“ The nature probe cell of ' Nature and Forest ' assumes that the she - wolf was maliciously pour down , ” the Agency for Nature and Forests , the Flemish government ’s environment federal agency , said ina statementon Monday , September 30 .

“ It can be assumed that if the she - wolf was killed , the culprit of the environmental offence would have by design invaded the she - wolf ’s nesting area to search for the she - wolf with her sonny boy on the nest and kill them there . ”

Naya wasfirst spottedon Belgian soil in January 2018 after researchers tracked her as   she journey across the border from the Netherlands and into the north - easterly Flemish region of Flanders .

She was last officially pick up in May 2019 . At the prison term , she was distinctly significant . Although she was not seen over the summertime , her male partner was spotted acquit food , which is a hopeful signaling that the mother and cubs are alive and well . However , as summertime drew by , he stopped bringing back solid food .

After word got around of an anon. tip that stated the Friedrich August Wolf was by design poison , an investigation was launched using ground searches , drone , and a review of look-alike documenting the local wolf . However , they found no grounds of poison in wolf shite from the area .   Based on the little surd evidence they have , the Agency for Nature and Forests said that if the she - wolf was killed , it was likely in a malicious act .

However , local hunting connexion have dismissed these claims as an attempt to smutch the reputation of hunting . verbalise to Flemish newspaperHet Nieuwsblad , one hunting watch said the accusal was “ tendencious ” and that   the local hunt association is considering whether to charge a legal ailment for calumny , even though the Agency for Nature and Forests does not officially bring up hunters .

“ They say they are 100 percent sure , but they have no test copy , " he tot up .

The disappearance of Naya marks another hurdle in the recent resurgence of Friedrich August Wolf to key and Western Europe , with wild populations being spotted inGermany , Denmark , andAustria . Scotlandand England arealso consideringthe active reintroduction of wolves into certain areas .

However , as this recent chronicle highlight , humans and wolves have a strong tendency to clash , especially in rural areas   where   the condom of stock is a priority .