Classroom lesson 路 Wildlife馃嚨馃嚤 Poland

Grey Wolves of the Polish Forests

Family hunters making a quiet comeback in Poland's woods

What is it?

Grey wolves are wild relatives of pet dogs that live in the great forests of Poland. They are clever, social animals that live and hunt in family groups called packs.

Tell me more

A wolf pack is really a family: a mother, a father and their growing cubs. They work together, look after each other, and 'talk' by howling. A howl can carry for kilometres through the trees; it helps the pack stay in touch and tells other wolves 'this is our home'.

Wolves are important helpers in the forest. By following herds of deer, they keep nature balanced and healthy. They are also shy and usually keep far away from people. For a while there were very few wolves in Poland, but thanks to protection their numbers are quietly growing again.

Wolf cubs are born in spring and the whole pack helps raise them, bringing food and teaching them how to live in the wild. Spotting wolf paw-prints in the snow is an exciting sign that the deep Polish forests are thriving.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01Wolves live and hunt as a family team. What are the advantages of working together as a group?
  2. 02Wolves howl to communicate. How do other animals, and people, send messages over long distances?
  3. 03Wolf numbers are growing thanks to protection. Why is it good news when a wild animal returns?
Try this

Classroom activity

Howl map. Spread out across the room as a 'pack'. One wolf 'howls' (a sound) and the others answer to show where they are. Then draw a forest map and mark where your pack would sleep, hunt and meet.