Iberian wolf photo captured in PGNP

The camera traps of the conservation project ‘Ver Natureza’ (View), captured the first photograph of an Iberian wolf, the last great predator of the Portuguese fauna about a week ago in Peneda-Gerês National Park.

The project ‘Ver Natureza’ aims to raise public awareness of biodiversity that exists in Peneda-Gerês National Park, a certified PAN Park. The project is funded and run by Ecotura (www.ecotura.com) and Nomad (www.nomad.pt).

They have already captured images of several species such as deer, fox and wild boar but a week ago they captured the first photo of the endangered Iberian wolf. According to Tiago Costa, editor, one of the project team members, through this project it is possible to show that in only about two hours drive from Porto the Iberian wolf can survive in a well-protected park with true wilderness. The most recent national census of the Iberian wolf, in 2002 and 2003, revealed the existence of 65 packs, totaling approximately 300 individuals.

Ecotura is run by two journalists, Pedro Alarcão and Anabela Moedas, who have published several articles about nature conservation. Since 1999 they have been studying the life of Iberan wolves in Peneda-Gerés. In 2003 they developed a video documentary called "The Secret Life of Wolves." This new project helps them monitor wolves and their habitat.

Nomad (www.nomad.pt) is a Portuguese adventure travel agency that specializes in safari, trekking, cultural discovery and photography. A team of 20 Portuguese tour leaders guides their groups and ensures that the trips offer the best insight of local culture. They launched the wildlife monitoring project as they believe it is their responsibility to preserve and give back to the places they visit.

Check out images on their project website: http://www.vernatureza.org