Europe’s Wolves: Navigating Borders, Politics, and Conservation Challenges

The collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989 triggered a series of transformations across Europe, one of which was the gradual westward expansion of wolves, a species largely absent from Western Europe for over a century. Prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, strict border controls prevented the movement of both humans and wildlife, with guards even reportedly shooting bears for sport along the frontier.

Currently, Europe is home to more than 21,500 wolves, classified as a species of least concern. Their revival stands as a rare success story amid the global biodiversity crisis, demonstrating the effectiveness of conservation strategies that transcend national borders. However, this newfound freedom and growth for wolves face renewed challenges.

Historically, wolves were among the most widespread land mammals, but aggressive persecution by the mid-20th century brought them to the brink of extinction. In Europe, their numbers hit a low point around 1965, surviving only in isolated pockets. Meanwhile, in North America, estimates suggest that between one and two million wolves were eradicated during the late 19th century. As noted by writer Barry Lopez, such figures are now almost inconceivable.

The European Union’s enlargement played a pivotal role in the species’ recovery by facilitating scientific collaboration across countries and implementing environmental laws that afford special protection to large carnivores. These policies have been ratified by all member states, creating a continent-wide framework for wolf conservation.

A notable example of this resurgence is Slavc (pronounced sh-lough-ts), a wolf born in southern Slovenia in 2010. At just one year old, he was fitted with a GPS collar by researchers studying wolf behavior. Embarking on a solitary journey spanning over a thousand miles across the Alps, Slavc sought fundamental needs shared by all creatures: sufficient territory, food, and companionship.

His trek took him through Slovenia and Austria, and four months later, he arrived in Italy’s mountainous region north of Verona. There, he encountered a female wolf, possibly originating from France, though her exact background remains unknown. Remarkably, these two wolves, potentially the only wild individuals across thousands of square miles, found each other and formed the first pack in that area in more than a hundred years.