Wildlife camera captures wolves hunting deer on the Veluwe

A wildlife camera captured a tense pursuit on the Veluwe as two wolves chased a red deer across a shallow pond, leaving the animal injured but alive, according to wildlife officials.

The footage, shared by forest ranger Frank Theunissen on his Bluesky channel, shows the deer sprinting with its large antlers through the water while the two adult wolves from a pack near Ede follow closely. The video lasts nearly three minutes.

“To an untrained eye, it may seem the predators are overmatched chasing such a large prey,” Theunissen told Tubantia. “But a single wolf can catch this type of deer. I think they were working together and taking turns. Wearing out the prey is one of their many hunting techniques.”

In the video, the wolves run repeated circles around the pond, driving the deer into the water multiple times as it seeks safety. Despite the deer’s efforts, the wolves continue the pursuit, leaping through the pond after it.

The footage ends with the deer emerging from the water, limping and showing a large, open wound on its left hip. The wolves are no longer in view.

“The wolves have left, but we don’t know the final outcome. It’s possible they caught it later,” Theunissen said. “Because I know which deer it is, we should soon know how it fared.”