Rare Black Wolves Captured on Film in Polish Forest, Sparking New Research

In the depths of a Polish forest, two rare black wolves, believed to be siblings, were captured on film traversing a stream. This remarkable sighting, announced by SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Poland, has ignited a new research endeavor to unravel the genetic secrets behind these enigmatic creatures.

The footage, captured by a camera trap initially intended to monitor beaver activity, inadvertently recorded the wolves. Project coordinator Joanna Toczydłowska discovered their presence upon reviewing the footage weeks later. "It's something new and unusual," she remarked to The Associated Press.

Intrigued by this rare discovery, the organization has embarked on a project to collect scat (droppings) in the forest. Analysis of the scat will provide valuable genetic information, potentially shedding light on the prevalence and origins of the black coat color in these wolves. This discovery underscores the importance of ongoing wildlife monitoring and its potential to reveal unexpected insights into the natural world.

In one clip, a black wolf and a gray wolf slowly crossed a stream, the water nearly reaching their bellies, before leaping onto the bank. A second clip, taken last fall, records two black wolves and a gray wolf fording the same stream.

Most of the 2,500 to 3,000 wolves in Poland are gray with red or black accents. Black fur, a genetic mutation likely originating in domesticated dogs thousands of years ago, is rare in Europe due to reduced genetic diversity. However, at least half of the wolf population in Yellowstone National Park in the United States has black fur.

Based on their size and the fact that they travel in families, Toczydłowska believes the two black wolves are likely siblings around a year old. At least one is male.

The conservation organization, which has been monitoring wolves in Poland for 13 years, is not disclosing the forest's location to protect the wolves from poaching and prevent the spread of misinformation about wolves.

Wolves were essentially extinct in Poland by the 1950s, but the population has been reintroduced in recent years, especially in the central part of the country in the early 2000s. Toczydłowska and her colleagues educate the public on how to safely coexist with wolf packs.

"For people, it is a new phenomenon," Roman Gula, head of the organization's wolf monitoring project, told the AP. "Education is one of our major, major goals."

The conservation fund announced the sighting last week on Facebook and requested financial support to pay for the scat's genetic testing to learn more about the black-fur mutation.