Co-author Irina Rotenko
Since Could 2021 within the protected space of Naliboki Forest consisting barely a couple of thousand sq. kilometres we traced six wolf litters. Altogether there have been 35-40 wolf pups. Within the mid-July there have been registered 15 pups (2, 8 and 5). In September just one breeder group saved 4 pups. These breeder group consisted of mom, father and one other grownup feminine, which was like a pup-sitter. Until December they misplaced 3 extra pups. At first of January 2022 merely one pup walked with the three grownup wolves there. That pup was the one single one within the the protected space of Naliboki Forest and the entire Naliboki Forest at first of 2022.
Among the many causes of disappearance of the pups, the next ones could also be listed. One wolf burrow-den with six pups was destroyed by a brown bear in Could within the Navusts’ locality.
One breeding group (three breeding females and two grownup males; the case of pack triple-breeding) on the Biarezina medium-sized river, having three litters initially, misplaced all of the pups until August. Within the space of their keep three grownup male lynxes had been registered by camera-traps in proximity to the wolf litters in repeated events. So, we blame these grownup male lynxes in killing of the pups. In earlier years we well-documented killing of wolf pups by grownup male lynxes on this space. One of many male – killer of wolf pups (we name Jury) stays within the space nonetheless.
Yet one more wolf household within the localities of Jamno-Budy-Shubin, maybe, suffered from two grownup male lynxes, too. The grownup male lynxes had been registered in proximity to them in repeated events.
Yet one more wolf litters may very well be killed by both bison or grownup male lynx or stags. All of them very regularly registered by camera-traps in proximity to the pups.
There was no searching on wolves or working of wolf pup searchers within the protected space of Naliboki Forest in 2021.