Wolves detected in Pohorje area in Slovenia

In November, professional hunters of the Slovenia Forest Service in the area of the State Managed Hunting Ground Pohorje, recorded with camera traps a pack of wolves. In recent years, wolves have been sporadically seen in this part of Slovenia, but it now appears that a pack has formed there. Employees of Slovenia Forest Service will collect non-invasive genetic samples to determine where the wolves originate from, as they may naturally travel long distances.

Wolves are an important part of our forests and have historically been present throughout Slovenia. Later, they were systematically persecuted, and as a result they have only survived in small numbers in the area of Kočevska and Notranjska Regions. After the species was protected in the early 90s first by hunters and then by the state, the wolf population in the Slovenia recovered and in 2018-19 expanded into the Alps, where it stayed since then. A similar trend of wolf dispersal has been observed elsewhere in Europe (see the IUCN LCIE report for more details).

As an umbrella species, wolves are an indicator of a healthy forest ecosystem. It is a fact that large carnivores play an irreplaceable role in nature, but it is true that they can cause conflicts with human activities. The Slovenian Forest Service has for many years been looking for solutions and promote measures to help livestock breeders to prevent large carnivores from attacking their domestic animals. Most efficient are high electric nettings and livestock guarding dogs.

Miha Marenče, Head of the Forest Development Planning Sector at the Slovenia Forest Service "While the wolf is not dangerous to humans, it can attack grazing animals. We encourage breeders to use preventive measures. For those who would like to take preventive measures to protect their livestock from carnivores, we have appropriate protective equipment available through various projects (LIFE Wild Wolf and LIFE Varna paša)." For further information on protection measures, please contact the Slovenian Forest Service.

Wolves have developed a system of self-regulation that prevents them from overbreeding in a given area. The wolf pack usually numbers between 4 and 12 members, which live in their own territory and defend it from other wolves. V Slovenia, the average wolf territory covers 400 km2 (40,000 ha).

The presence of individual wolves in the area has already been detected in 2023 in the forest around Velenje and the Upper Savinja Valley. The Pohorje region is a suitable habitat for wolves, so expansion into this area is not unexpected.

A total of 117 (107-125) wolves were present in Slovenia in the 2022/23 season, which compares with the monitoring results for the 2020/2021 season, when there were 120 (106-147) wolves. All data on the status of the wolf population in Slovenia since the 2010 to 2024 are available in the annual reports on the website Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning. Signs of wolf presence in Slovenia are also available via the MBase online database.

What to do in case of an encounter with wolves

Encounters with wolves are rare, as wolves are generally shy animals and avoid humans. Even an encounter with a pack is not dangerous, as wolves are scared of people. Wolves have been persecuted for millennia and fear has been deeply instilled in them, so they avoid us and do not see us as potential prey.

Izidor Cojzer, LPN Pohorje Manager: “For the first time in the Pohorje State Managed Hunting Ground area we are detecting a wolf pack. In the past months, based on the findings of prey remains, the presence of wolves was suggested and was later on confirmed by a camera trapping photo. In general, wolves are extremely shy animals that are not dangerous to humans."

If an encounter does occur, stay calm, point out your presence and slowly back away. If you are walking through the forest, have a dog always on a leash to avoid any unwanted encounters between dogs and wolves.