A wolf was withdrawn drowned from the waters of the Albert canal, Sunday at midday in Curange, near Hasselt (Limbourg), according to the newspapers of the Mediahuis group. The information has been confirmed by the Flemish Agency for Nature and Forests.
It is probably a wandering individual who had already been spotted earlier this weekend in Sint-Truiden and the region. The animal probably wanted to cross the canal. “In principle, the wolf swims very well, but the Albert Canal is bordered by steep concrete walls”, explained Jeroen Denaeghel, spokesperson for the agency.
The injured person committed “a frightful error of appreciation”, confirmed Jan Loos, from Welkom Wolf vzw. “Wolves are capable of swimming across the largest rivers and streams in Europe. But the concrete walls of the Albert Canal have been fatal to them.”
An autopsy and DNA analysis will be carried out by the Institute for Research on Nature and Forests (INBO), to try to determine which individual it is, and if it was not part of the Limburg pack.
Welkom Wolf has received numerous reports of wolves in recent days. The association requests that any sightings be reported immediately, preferably by telephone on 0495 / 32.53.30 or at wolven@landschapvzw.be.