A conservation organization reported that video footage captured two black wolves, believed to be siblings, crossing a stream.
This rare sighting, recorded last year, led the SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Poland to collect scat samples from the area to analyze the wolves’ genetics.
The video was originally set up by Joanna Toczydlowska, a project coordinator, to monitor beavers.
Upon reviewing the footage, she discovered the wolves and continued monitoring them.
“It’s something new and unusual,” Toczydlowska commented.
One clip shows the two wolves carefully crossing a stream, the water nearly reaching their bellies.
Another autumn recording shows three wolves—two black and one gray—crossing the same stream.
The exact location remains undisclosed to protect the wolves.
Most Polish wolves are gray with reddish or black markings.
The black fur is thought to result from a genetic mutation originating in domesticated dogs thousands of years ago.
Dark fur is uncommon in Europe, unlike Yellowstone National Park, where at least half the wolf population has black fur.
Toczydlowska estimates the black wolves are siblings, about a year old, and approximately 66 pounds each, based on their size and wolf family dynamics. She also noted at least one is male.
Wolves were nearly eradicated in Poland by the 1950s but have since made a comeback, especially in central Poland.
Toczydlowska and her colleagues work to educate the public on safe coexistence with wolves.
“For people, it’s a new phenomenon,” explained Roman Gula, head of the organization’s wolf monitoring project. “Education is one of our major, major goals.”