Woman 'stunned' to see wolf chasing herd of deer in South West

A woman was left astounded when she spotted what she believes to be a wolf chasing a herd of deer in the Forest of Dean. April Collier, 43, from Blackwood in South Wales, was visiting the forest for the first time with her partner and their dog when she witnessed the unexpected sight.

April recounted: "We were in the Forest of Dean at Cannop Ponds at the cycle track. It was the first time I had visited the area with my partner and my dog."

She continued: "I decided I was going to go on up ahead on to Verderers trail. When I got near the track at the top, about ten deer were running from my left out of the woods onto the track, and in the middle of them there was a wolf."

The sight was so close and clear that April could hardly believe her eyes. She watched as the deer sprinted down the track with the wolf in hot pursuit.

April added: "The deer and wolf was about two metres away from me. They were running down the track and was at the top.", reports Gloucestershire Live.

She described the wolf as being larger than the deer, with distinctive grey fur marked with dark flecks towards its lower back, and a notably bushy tail.

"The deer and the wolf had run off and into the bracken. I was there just speechless until my partner had caught up with me."

"By then I was more concerned with getting my dog away just in case the wolf decided to return. It was a sight I will never forget."

"When I had seen the wolf, it was in 2021, and I have read of a few sightings since on tracker websites. I would really like to hear if anyone else has seen a wolf in the Forest of Dean lately, as the documented sightings have not been recorded much recently."

Frank Tunbridge, a wildlife expert from Podsmead, shared: "A walk in the woods in the Forest of Dean can be an interesting and enlightening experience where our native wildlife is concerned. Especially if they are lucky enough to encounter some of the varied bird species, deer, or even see a wild boar or two, if you happen to be in the right place at the right time."

"l received an email from a lady outlining her experience of suddenly seeing a small herd of deer being hotly pursued by a wolf. After, when back home she checked out wolf images, and they confirmed that the physical shape and colouration matched the animal that she had seen."

"Many people will discount her report, implying that it was probably a husky, or maybe a wolfdog. However over the years, I have had received quite had few similar reports from the Forest of Dean area, and in every case they were identified as displaying all the features and behaviour of a wolf."

"Wolves are very efficient predators, secretive, and great wanderers, who can scent a human on the wind from over a mile away, so are not often seen. When one crosses your path, it is a sight that you will remember forever, similar to encountering a British big cat, or a lynx , which also exist in Gloucestershire, and throughout the UK."

"Many exotic species, have now established themselves throughout wild places across the UK, after being dumped and released when the 1976 Dangerous Animals act came into force. The amount of prey species in the Forest of Dean, especially the over abundance of deer, rabbits, pheasants, and wild boar piglets being available, will fuel any large carnivore's diet for years."

Anyone who has had a wolf, or other unusual animal encounter can email Frank in confidence at franktunbridge@hotmail.co.uk.