Co-author Irina Rotenko
In May we succeeded in filming parent wolves at a couch den with pups inside a large treefall. The parent couple appeared to dwell there in full welfare. However, quite suddenly both mother and father began relocating the pups from this den, completing the move within 74 minutes. Five hours later, the pups were again relocated one by one through the former den, but this time in the opposite direction.
The second relocation led the family far away (2.6 km) entirely outside the favourable treefall. There the pups were placed in raspberry bushes on a clearcut undergoing early reforestation.
A very plausible reason for this long‑distance relocation was the appearance of a big adult male lynx, which visited the former den repeatedly afterwards.
