A captivating video has emerged showing a pack of wolves hunting a young bison in the heart of the Polish wilderness.

This rare observation indicates that bison might be more frequently preyed upon by wolves in Europe than previously believed.

“My mind was blown,” says Robin Winans from the Polish Academy of Sciences. “It was an astonishing discovery, particularly given that I didn’t anticipate wolves targeting bison when there are numerous other prey options in the forest.”

The European bison (bison bonasus) was once widespread across the continent but faced extinction in the wild early last century due to excessive hunting and habitat destruction. Thankfully, conservation efforts have rescued the species, leading to its reintroduction into the wild in the 1950s. Today, approximately 9,000 of these majestic creatures roam Europe.

Wolves have significantly resurged in Europe, with their population increasing by an impressive 58% in the last decade. Nevertheless, only a handful of confirmed cases of wolves preying on bison have been documented since their reintroduction.

Mr. Winans and his research team, including Tomasz Borowik, utilized camera traps to document the hunt in September 2025 while studying in the Białowieża Forest, a reintroduction site for European bison.

At 7:25 a.m., a pack of seven wolves initiated a hunt, targeting a herd of 11 bison. They distracted the adults while aiming for a newborn calf. During the chase, one wolf attempted to seize the calf by biting its neck, but the adult bison fiercely defended it by charging. The herd rallied to protect the calf, driving the wolf away.

The intense encounter lasted 20 minutes, yet the footage does not reveal whether the calf survived.

“Capturing a wolf-prey interaction on camera is incredibly rare; it requires precise positioning of the camera at the ideal time. This footage is an exceptional find,” says Oswald Schmitz from Yale University, who was not part of the study.

Concerns have arisen regarding bison overpopulation potentially harming habitats and farmland, while adversely affecting other wildlife. In this context, wolf predation may prove beneficial, researchers suggest.

“Even if wolf predation occurs more often than anticipated, we don’t foresee it leading to a swift decline in bison numbers. In fact, it could aid in stabilizing the population,” Winans states. “Understanding the frequency and ecological impact of these predation events would be fascinating.”