Video: First wild wolf pups born in Netherlands in 200 years

A wolf  pair spotted in the Veluwe at the end of April had three pups, the province of Gelderland announced with video of the pups. According to the province, they were born sometime in April - the first time in 200 years that wolves were born in the Netherlands in the wild. 

Filmbeelden bevestigen: jonge wolven op de Veluwe. Het wolvenpaar op de Noord-Veluwe heeft jongen. Videobeelden tonen 3 jonge #wolven op verkenning in de natuur. pic.twitter.com/pZHsP4AXMo

— Provincie Gelderland (@provgelderland) June 19, 2019

The pups were recorded by a so-called camera trap. The terrain manager passed the video on to the province.

"The three young wolves come by in the picture, half playing and half exploring", Glen Lelieveld of the Mammal Society said to Omroep Gelderland. According to him, the territorial animals are mainly engaged in hunting game in the area and are not interested in people. "Because the cubs are so young, they are incredibly sensitive and it is really important that we leave them alone."

Lelieveld advises recreationists in the area to stay on the paths and keep away from the wolves if they spot them. The exact spot where the video was filmed was not announced, to prevent people from going searching for the wolves.

Early this year, researchers established that two female wolves were living in the Veluwe area, based on DNA research. The investigation also showed that a male wolf was wandering around the same area. Late in April he was photographed with a she-wolf. 

The Dutch provinces set up a Wolf Plan early this year, to steer the return of the wolf to the Netherlands in a good direction, NOS reports. Gelderland is working on establishing a wolf committee, consisting of terrain managers, sheep farmers and goat farmers in the province. The committee's goal will be to create a prevention plan to protect sheep and goats from the wolves.