Table 1.
Locations of sampling sites for wolf monitoring by camera traps in the Białowieża National Park
| No. | Division No. | GPS coordinates | Presence of alopecic/sick wolves (number) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | 339C | 52.7418N; 23.7959E | Yes (2)* |
| C2 | 159B | 52.7991N; 23.8267E | Yes (1) |
| C3 | 130C | 52.8031N; 23.8280E | No |
| C4 | 226A | 52.7803N; 23.8770E | Yes (1) |
| C5 | 159D | 52.7926N; 23.8271E | Yes (1) |
| C6 | 374A | 52.7282N; 23.9074E | No |
| C7 | 135D | 52.8041N; 23.9189E | No |
| C8 | 287C | 52.7537N; 23.8758E | No |
| C9 | 284B | 52.7570N; 23.8430E | No |
| C10 | 259B | 52.7683N; 23.9189E | No |
Fig. 1.
The distribution of camera traps (C1–C10, Table 1) installed for the monitoring of mange cases in wolves in the Białowieża National Park in winter 2021/2022. Red tags – locations where severely alopecic wolves were observed. Red square in the bottom left corner map – the location of the BNP in Europe
Fig. 2.
Observations of severely alopecic wolves in Białowieża National Park: a – camera trap image of the wolf found dead a day later (Table 1, C1 and Fig. 3); b – camera trap image from the camera positioned on a European bison carcass (Table 1, C4); c – photo taken by a Polish border guard on the border with Belarus on the bridge over the Narewka river (Kosy Most; 52.7996N, 23.8284E) near location of trap C2 (Table 1); d – photo taken by a forest ranger in the same midforest meadow as trap C1 (Table 1)
Fig. 3.
External inspection of a wolf carcass showing: a – advanced alopecia; hyperkeratosis; emaciation and severe dehydration and anaemia; b – presence of soil and fragments of vegetation in the mouth suggestive of some neurological symptoms, which were nevertheless ruled out by a negative rabies test result
Fig. 4.
Ventral views of a Sarcoptes scabiei male (a) and Demodex sp. (b) isolated post mortem from the skin of an affected grey wolf from Białowieża National Park
Fig. 5.
Local polynomial smoothed lines of the distribution of selected monthly meteorological data for Białowieża Forest, obtained from the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management in the winter months of January–March between 2001 and 2021. a – solid blue line: average minimum temperature (Tmin); dotted maroon line: average minimum temperature at ground level (Tmin ground); b – solid navy-blue line: average maximum snow depth in cm; dashed maroon line: average number of days with snow cover