Resilient, adaptable and social

There are five subspecies of wolf found in Europe, of which the Eurasian wolf is the most common and widespread. On average it weighs around 40 kg, with relatively short and coarse tawny fur. Many Eurasian wolf populations are forced to subsist largely on livestock and rubbish in human-dominated areas, though wild ungulates (hooved animals) such as moose, red deer, roe deer and wild boar are still the most important food sources in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Wolves are highly social animals that live in extended family groups called packs. Adaptable and resilient, they can survive in a variety of habitats, including forests, tundra, mountains, swamps and deserts.

The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is a subspecies of grey wolf inhabiting the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (northern Portugal and northwestern Spain). This area is home to between 2,200 and 2,700 Iberian wolves, which have been isolated from mixing with other wolf populations for over a century.

Under the framework of the LIFE WolFlux initiative, which is funded by the European Commission and co-funded by the Endangered Landscapes Programme, the Rewilding Portugal team and local partners are now working to support the Iberian wolf population south of the Douro. Support measures, which are focused on improving relations between local people and wolves, include efforts to boost local populations of roe deer (thereby minimising livestock predation) and the introduction of a livestock guard dog programme.

In many areas of Europe wolves will prey on livestock, which causes farmers and shepherds to resent the animal’s presence and in many cases shoot the animal on sight. However, this predation is largely due to a scarcity of the wolves’ natural prey. Studies have shown that even when livestock is abundant in wolf territory, wolves still mostly prefer to feed on wild animals such as deer and wild boar. Boosting the availability of natural prey is therefore critical to improving human-wolf relations.

In the Greater Côa Valley rewilding area in Portugal, the Rewilding Portugal team has introduced a livestock guard dog programme as a way to support Iberian wolves south of the Douro River. The target is to eventually embed 100 dogs with livestock flocks and herds in the area. The Serra da Estrela dogs used in the programme have been guarding livestock (sheep, cattle and goats) south of the Douro against attacks by Iberian wolves for centuries.