The European bison is known as “the king of the forest”, but its throne is now threatened. The battle between bison and wolves was resolved in less than 25 minutes.
For the first time, images were captured of wolves hunting European bison in Floresta Primária de Białowieża. Although no “direct slaughter” was recorded, the ease with which they attacked suggests that the wolves may have been successful elsewhere in Europe.
The intense confrontation between the two species was captured on September 15, 2025 by scientists from the Polish Academy of Sciences, through camera traps hidden within the ancient forest, located on the border between Poland and Belarus, where the European bison was reintroduced in the 1950s.
It all started at 7:25 am, right at the crack of dawn. The images show a pack of seven wolves charging at a herd of 11 European bisonmade up of five adult females, two adult males, a young male and three juveniles, including a newly born calf.
As expected, the wolves they focus on the most vulnerable element and youngest of the herd. However, in a remarkable display of instinct, the herd closes ranks around the cub and forces the wolves to retreat.
When three females walked away to chase the wolvesleft the newborn calf unprotected, without realizing. The pack took advantage of the opening, grabbed the calf by the neck and tried to drag it, until two adult females attacked and chased it away.
The cub fled, but the wolves did not give up and thethey caught her a second time. Two adult bison charged at the pack head down and horns pointed, while the rest closed around the calf, forming an imposing wall of muscle.
In view of this mammalian force wallthe wolves gave up the attack. Some members of the pack can be seen hanging around the place for brief moments, but, at around 7:47 am, seem to have already followed their path.
Wolves are excellent predatorscapable of taking down prey weighing 10 to 20 times its own weight, including elk and bison. They achieve this thanks to a combination of brute strength and enduranceadded to a good dose of intelligence and, perhaps most importantly, teamworknote or .
You know-I know that hunt American bison in North Americaa distinct species, but, In Europe, these encounters are much rarerwith only a handful of historical accounts recorded.
“To the best of our knowledge, we present the first video test of wolves attacking a herd of European bison in the Białowieża Primary Forest, directing the attack at a newborn calf”, write the authors of a description of the hunt, recently published in Ecology and Evolution.
“Although the video does not show a direct slaughter, our observation shows that European bison is, in fact, potential prey for wolves“, they add.
This is what gives even greater importance to the new images. The European bison was extinct in the wild in 1919but was reintroduced into the Białowieża Primary Forest in 1952.
If predation does occur frequently in the region, then the conservation of the species is less guaranteed than previously believed.
On the other hand, perhaps it is nothing more than the normal functioning of nature: wolves serving as natural brake to keep populations balanced of bison in the ecosystem they now share.
