Overview
- The incident, captured in May 2025 at the Castelporziano Presidential Estate near Rome, is reported in a Current Zoology study by Buelli and colleagues.
- Researchers used GPS-collar data to locate two dens and deployed five motion-activated cameras, first recording a fox at the entrance on May 14.
- Video shows the fox dragging a live pup from the den twice while adult wolves were away, after which that pup did not reappear in any subsequent footage.
- The pack soon abandoned the den area; only one pup was recorded afterward, and the remaining pup was documented alive on October 2.
- The authors describe the event as the first documented fox attack on a wolf pup and interpret it as opportunistic, highlighting that mesocarnivores can directly pressure wolf reproduction.