Swiss Wolf Swims 1.5Km Across Lake Lucerne

According to GPS coordinates, the wolf was present on both sides of the lake within a 90-minute time span on February 13.

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“At first, I looked for scenarios in which the animal had actually walked around the lake,” biologist Flurin Kunz of the Kora Carnivore Ecology and Wildlife Management Foundation told Swiss public broadcaster SRF.“A complete circuit of the lake would not have been possible for the animal in that timeframe.”

The only possible explanation is that the wolf must have swum across the lake in central Switzerland in the five-degree Celsius waters.

“But perhaps it's not so unusual after all. Theoretically, it would also be possible for dogs to swim this distance,” Kunz added.

Since last October, the animal, designated M637, has been fitted with a transmitter. This allows researchers to track not only its swim across the lake but also its migration of several hundred kilometres.

The three- to four-year-old male wolf ran from the Jura Mountains in western Switzerland, through the Emmental region, to the canton of Zug. Along the way, it crossed over and under highways and navigated around settlements.“February and March are breeding season. The wolf is looking for a female to start a pack,” said Kunz. Once the wolf has found a female, he will settle down. Then the animal's long wanderings will come to an end.

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