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Swiss wolf reportedly shot in Hungary after record journey

Wolf
The number of wolves is increasing in Switzerland, while some journey over borders in search of new territory. Keystone / Wwf/giancarlo Mancori

A wolf has been shot dead in Hungary after migrating a record distance from Switzerland, media in the eastern European country reports.

The two-year-old male wolf, called M237, had separated from its pack in canton Graubünden and made its way to Hungary via south Tyrol and Austria.

It was tracked using a GPS collar for 1,900 kilometers, making it the longest journey ever recorded by a wolf in Europe.

The wolf passed close to the cities of Innsbruck, Vienna and Budapest before reaching the Hungarian village of Hidasnemeti, near to the border with Slovakia.

But local media reports that the migration has ended in tragedy at the hands of a hunter, despite the species being protected in Hungary.

Some 20 packs with around 180 wolves live across Switzerland and are a protected species. Wildlife observers estimate that Switzerland will have 50 packs and a total of 350 wolves by 2025.

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