This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

A lone wolf in Belgium has a love interest, after a potential female mate was spotted in his habitat in the east of the country, authorities have said.

The Flemish Agency for Nature and Forests (ANB) revealed this week the first images of a she-wolf it has christened Noëlla, who was spotted in the north-eastern province of Limbourg, bordering the Netherlands.

The agency said she was in the same habitat as August, a male who was seen “acting like a solitary wolf” after the “virtually certain” death of Naya, a female wolf who had been carrying cubs and receiving food from him.

Posting nocturnal images of Noëlla on its Facebook page, the ANB said her arrival in August’s habitat was great news, adding that the wolf mating season was in February: “That makes dreams for 2020!”

“It’s a female. With the she-wolf Noëlla, August has a potential new love in Limbourg,” tweeted Zuhal Demir, the Flemish region’s environment minister.

Zuhal Demir (@Zu_Demir) Het is een vrouwtje. Met wolvin Noëlla heeft August een potentieel nieuw lief in Limburg. #eerstefoto @natuurenbos @INBOVlaanderen pic.twitter.com/Selu9zkG2m

“Specialists have confirmed that it is a she-wolf, by her size, new footprints and location,” Demir’s office said in a press statement. Foresters had spotted the new footprints a few weeks ago, but specialists only announced she was female when they published photos this week.

Harmless or vicious hunter? The uneasy return of Europe's wolves Read more

After being wiped out in the early 19th century in most European countries, the wolf has staged a comeback. Wolves returned to Belgium’s Francophone region, Wallonia, in 2011 and were seen in Flanders by 2018.

The first to be spotted in Flanders was Naya, who was fitted with a transponder to track her movements. She was joined in August 2018 by a male companion, named August, who was seen carrying food to her. After months with no sign of her or her cubs, authorities concluded last October it was “virtually certain” she had been killed.

Wolves, which are protected by EU nature law, have not been universally welcomed, as they kill some farm animals, typically sheep.

Following the discovery of Noëlla, the ANB has advised farmers to take preventative action to protect livestock. Farmers are allowed to erect electric fences to keep the wolves out and can claim compensation if animals are killed despite these efforts. In 2019, €2,412 (£2,049) was paid to Flemish farmers in 14 cases of wolf attacks.