Wolf population size and composition in one of Europe's strongholds, the Romanian Carpathians

Strategies of coexistence with large carnivores should integrate scientific evidence, population monitoring and estimates providing an opportunity for advancing outdated management paradigms. We estimated wolf population density and social dynamics across a 1,400 km2 area in a data-poor region of Romanian Carpathians. Across three consecutive years (2017-2018 until 2019-2020), we collected and genotyped 505 noninvasive DNA wolf samples (scat, hair and urine) to identify individuals, reconstruct pedigrees and check for presence of hybridization with domestic dogs. We identified 27 males, 20 females, and one F1 wolf-dog hybrid male. We delineated six wolf packs, with pack size varying between two and seven individuals, and documented yearly changes in pack composition. Using a spatial capture recapture approach, we estimated population density at 2.35 wolves/100 km2 (95% BCI = 1.68–3.03) and population abundance at 70 individuals (95% BCI = 49–89). Noninvasive DNA data collection coupled with spatial capture-recapture has the potential to inform on wolf population size and dynamics at broader spatial scales, across different sampling areas representative for the diverse Carpathian landscapes, and across different levels of human impact, supporting wildlife decision making in one of Europe's main strongholds for large carnivores.