A camera trap in an ancient Polish forest captured extremely rare and unexpected footage of wolves attacking a bison herd made up of adults, youngsters and a newborn calf, a new study shows.
The event took place on September 15, 2025. five wolves (Canis lupus) Enter the camera’s frame, followed by three bison cows and a newborn calf. In the footage, the cows chase the wolves and are exposed, leaving the calf alone. The wolves then surround the calf, bite its neck and try to drag it away, but two cows come to save it. In the background of the video the wolves return a second time and capture the calf – however, this time the entire bison herd comes to its defense to end the attack.
This clip is from the Bialowieza Primeval Forest, Europe’s oldest and best preserved temperate lowland forest, which hosts The largest population of European bison in the world (bison bonus). The forest covers 350,600 acres (141,900 ha) on the border of Poland and Belarus. According to the new study, there are more than 870 bison on the Polish side, while on the Belarusian side There are about 730 bison.
Also known as the “King of the Forest”, the European bison is generally considered a non-hunted species, meaning it has no predators other than humans. But the footage raises questions on this.
These still images from the video show (a) the wolf holding a newborn calf for the first time; (b) a second seizure of the newborn calf by wolves; and (c) the bison herd forming a protective ring around the newborn calf after both attacks.
“To our knowledge, we present the first video-recorded evidence of wolves attacking a European bison herd in the Bialowieza Primaveal Forest,” the researchers wrote in the study published May 29 in the journal Nature. Ecology and Evolution. “Although the video does not show a direct kill, it suggests that other attacks on European bison could potentially be successful.”
Historical documents show that wolf attacks on European bison were common, resulting in approximately 8 deaths. recorded annually In the Bialowieza Primeval Forest between 1840 and 1849. The forest was a popular hunting ground for kings since the 14th century, which explains why such detailed records exist.
European bison became extinct in the wild in 1919, but were reintroduced into the Bialowieza Primeval Forest in 1952. The first confirmed killing of bison since then was in the mid-1990s, and after that, it seems as if wolves were forced into the diet of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (cervus elaphus) and wild boar (sus scrofa), possibly because they are much easier prey than bison, the researchers wrote in the study.
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But now, “our observations show that European bison are indeed potential prey for wolves,” they wrote. “This raises questions about why hunting efforts are so rare, whether bison can still be described as a non-hunted species, and what this might mean for the conservation and management of the species.”
An interesting trend in the Bialowieza Primeval Forest is that wolf packs are increasing in size, possibly due to the ban on hunting imposed in the late 1980s. This change may increase wolf predation on bison in the future, as larger herds can handle larger prey.
“If predation on European bison, especially young animals, occurs more frequently than before, wolves may play a small but potentially important role in the natural regulation of bison numbers,” the researchers wrote in the study. “In turn, such regulation could potentially reduce human-bison conflict.”
Wijnands, R.R., and Borovik, T. (2026). The king in the crosshairs: evidence of attempted predation on European bison by wolves. Ecology and Evolution, 16(6), e73752. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73752