HOME RANGES OF WOLVES IN BIALOWIEZA PRIMEVAL FOREST, POLAND, COMPAREDWITH OTHER EURASIAN POPULATIONS

Home-range size, its seasonal variation, and pattern of home-range use of wolves (Canis lupus) were studied in Bialowieza Primeval Forest (B PF) located on the Polish-Belarussian borderland in 1994-1996. Tn the Belarussian part of BPF where wolves were hunted, their winter density was 0.9-1.5 individuals/100 km(2), and mean pack size was 2.7-3.2 wol ves. In the Polish part of BPF where wolves were protected, their dens ities were 2-2.6 individuals/100 km(2), and mean pack size was four to five wolves. In spring-summer, wolves usually moved singly or in pair s (65% of observations), but in autumn-winter, 51% of seen or snowtrac ked groups were whole packs. In 1994-1996, four wolves belonging to tw o neighbouring packs of five to seven individuals each were radiotrack ed in the Polish part of BPF for 4-18 months. Their total home ranges, estimated by the minimum convex polygon method with 100% of locations , covered 173-294 km(2). Core areas of home ranges, comprising 50% of locations, were small: 11-23 km(2), or 5-13% of the total home ranges. Packs hunted both in core areas and peripheral parts of the ranges, b ut the majority of their diurnal resting sites were located in core ar eas. Home ranges of wolves were 141-168 km(2) in spring-summer (May-Se ptember) and 99-271 km(2) in autumn-winter (October-April). There was nearly no overlap of the two packs' home ranges (0-3% in various seaso ns). Variation in the size of seasonal hone range was observed for two breeding females. During parturition and early nursing in May-June, t hey confined their activity to an average of 17 km(2), Literature on s izes of home ranges of Eurasian wolves was reviewed. Home ranges of wo lves increased from 80-240 km(2) in southern and central Europe to 415 -500 km(2) in northern Scandinavia. Smallest ranges were reported from regions where red deer (Cervus elaphus) were common. The population s tatus of wolves affected size of their ranges, they were large in low- density colonizing populations and small in established populations.