200 years later, wolf pack spotted in Denmark

After 200 years, Denmark has its first pack of wolves, according to a new study. The canines were exterminated in the Scandinavian nation in 1813.

Researchers from the country’s Aarhus University said that while a male wolf was spotted in the German-Denmark border in 2012, there was cause for celebration, but scientists questioned whether the spotted wolf was a lone one. After all, wolves travel in packs.

The researchers last week confirmed the presence of not just other wolves in Denmark, but a full-fledged wolf pack — meaning the group has a she-wolf in its midst, as well.

They point to CCTV footage and DNA tests of stool samples recovered by volunteers in the past half-year, which together show four males and a female have been moving through the region.

The researchers believe the female, which bears the elegant code name GW675f, crossed the border into Jutland from Germany across a distance of roughly 340 miles last summer. Now, footage of a pair of wolves suggests she has also found a mate in her new home.

“We expect that they will have cubs this year or the next,” the researchers said.