Pair of very rare black wolves spotted on trail cameras in Poland stun researchers

Two extremely rare black wolves have been spotted on trail cameras crossing a stream in a Polish forest, a conservation organization said on Sunday.

The trail camera footage, captured last year by SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Poland coordinator Joanna Toczydłowska has provided enough evidence for the organization to take research further, collecting scat droppings in the hope of learning more about the genetic makeup of the black wolves.

Toczydłowska initially placed the cameras there to study beavers. When she noticed the camera had captured footage of the rare black wolves she kept the camera where it was in hopes of seeing more of them.

Black wolves in Poland are rare, with most of the 2,500 to 3,000 sporting gray fur with red or black accents. Those with black fur have experienced a genetic mutation likely originating in domesticated dogs thousands of years ago. While half the wolves in the Yellowstone National Park in the U.S., in Europe, it's rare due to a reduced genetic diversity.

Wolves were almost extinct in Poland by the 1950s but after major conservation efforts, the population has been reintroduced in the last 20 years.

“For people, it is a new phenomenon,” Roman Gula, head of the organization's wolf monitoring project, told the AP. "Education is one of our major, major goals."

Pair of rare black wolves caught on camera in Poland - YouTube

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The conservation organization has been monitoring wolves in the region for 13 years, and is not disclosing the forest’s location in order to save wolves from further poaching and prevent misinformation about them spreading.

The conservation fund announced the sighting last week on Facebook and asked for financial support to pay for the scat's genetic testing to learn more about the black-fur mutation.

With the increasing use of the best trail cameras to conserve wildlife, their inexpensive costs and ease of access have led to some worrying situations, and call for further legislation about when, when and who can use them.

In December I reported on a disturbing case of women in rural India being terrorized by drones and trail cameras, leading to deaths.

In the European Union there is a strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for safeguarding individuals.

In the U.S., the laws vary state by state and while use of them is legal, there are restrictions. For example in California, it is not illegal to use trail cameras during the hunting season, however, on land managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife equipment will be removed if left overnight.

Whereas in New Hampshire trail cameras have been restricted since 2015. Hunters can use them, but they are prohibited from hunting animals on the same day they take the photos.

Take a look at our guides to the best trail cameras, the best cameras for wildlife photography, and the best camera drones.