A hidden camera captured an image of a wolf striding briskly through a sparsely wooded area. Nothing out of the ordinary — except that the camera in question is located near the town of Doksy, in the Czech Republic, and it is the first time in a hundred years that a wolf has been spotted in that area.

The wolf's origin remains uncertain

According to Radio Prague, there had been several signs in recent times suggesting the presence of wolves, but they had not been seen in the Bohemia region since the end of the nineteenth century. It is not yet possible to make any predictions about the number of individuals present, or whether this is an isolated case of little significance, given that the wolf photographed likely crossed over from neighbouring Poland and Germany, where the population is growing.

The ecosystemic importance of wolves

Either way, it is good news, because according to a recent theory, apex predators such as wolves — but also lions and sharks — are capable of improving and stimulating biodiversity. They are carnivores, it is true, but they also bring new species in their wake, creating a positive cascade effect on the entire ecosystem in which they live. This is what happened in the American park of Yellowstone after wolves were reintroduced in 1995 following 70 years of absence. The video by Sustainable Man (above), narrated by the renowned British environmental journalist George Monbiot, explains the details of this theory.