Wolves have been seen in Denmark for the first time in 200 years.
A team of researchers has what it says is conclusive evidence that wolves have re-established themselves in the southern Jutland Peninsula.
At least one male wolf is believed to have set up a permanent base there.
In the last two years, sporadic sightings of wolves have been reported in Jutland. It was the first time since 1813 that a wolf had been spotted.
Researchers followed up by studying the locations where the animals’ DNA was found.
The DNA traces revealed that one wolf was detected seven times in the same area last year. Wolves are considered to have settled in an area if they are seen there twice in six months.
"That is most certainly the case with this wolf, which means we can say that we have our first evidence that the wolf is settled in Denmark," Liselotte Wesley Andersen, a senior researcher at Aarhus University.
But so far, traces have been identified of only male wolves in Denmark.
Wolves used to populate much of Europe, but numbers dropped in the 19th century. Since the 1950s they have been making a comeback and there are now populations in countries such as France, Germany, Norway and Sweden.
