Joint press release of AOPK ČR, NP České Švýcarsko and OWAD project
The car hit the wolf near Ceska Kamenice
February 20, 2019 - The animal was found yesterday morning near Ceska Kamenice in Decin. Because of the suspicion of mange, it was transferred to the State Veterinary Institute in Prague, where an autopsy will be held in cooperation with scientists from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. Genetic analyses will be carried out to check whether the animal has indeed suffered from mange, and the tests will also examine the possibility of rabies infection.
“We know that mange has appeared in some wolves in neighbouring Saxony, and we had suspicion in two individuals in the Lusatian Mountains. Especially foxes or ungulates that are commonly affected by mange may be the source of the disease. The wolves that manifested mange did not show changes in behaviour towards humans. This disease does not necessarily mean the death of infected animals, they often get out of it by themselves, ”says Aleš Vorel from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environment, who is involved in wolf research in the region as part of the OWAD project [1].
“We are curious about the results of genetic analysis. A number of data are already available on wolves from across the area, and it should be possible to find out where exactly the wolf came from. The fact that we are in contact with German project partners enables us to exchange information and experience quickly. It is from our German project partners, for example, that we know that the disease caused by a mange does not mean a change in behaviour towards people, ”adds Tomáš Jůnek from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environment, who coordinates the OWAD project. The female was run over at the border of two areas of permanent occurrences of wolves between the Czech Switzerland National Park and the Lusatian Mountains Protected Landscape Area.
In recent years, the mange has been studied mainly in wolves in Yellowstone, Scandinavia and the Iberian Peninsula. Research has shown that if there is an individual with this disease in the pack, other animals may not be infected, the mange receptivity is very variable within the packs. Wolves with this disease move less during the day than healthy individuals. “The presence of this parasite is common in our Central European conditions, for example it is present in 10-20% of our foxes. It can be the same with wolves, ” adds Aleš Vorel. The wolf's mange is - as well as fox’s - transmissible to humans, but it is a common canine beast disease in nature.