Red Fox Caught on Camera Preying on a Wolf Pup in First-Ever Video-Documented Case
A fox approaching a wolf’s den may seem like a risky move. But new research shows the smaller predator didn’t just investigate: it attacked. In a study published in Current zoologyresearchers report the first documented video case of a red fox attacking a cub, captured by camera traps in Rome. This discovery is remarkable because, although wolves are top predators, their young are vulnerable and no fox has ever been seen successfully targeting a wolf pup.
The images start late at night. With no adult wolves nearby, a fox circles the entrance to the den before slipping inside. A few moments later, a live puppy comes out. The puppy escapes briefly, but the fox returns and, on its second attempt, captures it. After that night, one of the two puppies in the den was never seen again.
“We report the first documented case of a red fox attacking and likely preying on a baby wolf, representing an unprecedented direction of antagonistic interaction between the two species,” the authors wrote in their paper.
Capturing a Wolf Puppy Attack
The sighting comes from a larger study tracing a single pack of wolves inside the presidential estate of Castelporziano, a nature reserve on the outskirts of Rome.
Researchers used GPS collars to track the wolves’ movements and noticed repeated activity in early April 2025, suggesting a natal den. The pack then moved to a second site about 650 meters away, where the team installed five motion-activated cameras on May 14, 2025 to monitor reproductive behavior around the den.
In mid-May, cameras captured two young pups entering and exiting the den. A red fox began appearing in the footage around the same time, returning several times to investigate the entrance before the attack took place two nights later.
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The consequences on the den site
Before the encounter, both puppies appeared regularly in images, with at least 22 recordings. Subsequently, only one puppy was seen again, although cameras captured more than 100 additional clips in the following days.
The remaining pup stayed near the den and was often heard calling, as members of the wolf pack came and went. However, within a few days, the wolves left the site completely and moved elsewhere. This type of approach is not unusual. Wolves are known to move their dens if something threatens their young.
A rare threat to wolf pups
Cases like this are rarely documented, largely because den sites are difficult to monitor continuously. Most reported cases of other animals killing wolf pups involve much larger predators, such as bears or birds of prey.
This discovery helps refine the way scientists understand interactions between predators. While wolves occupy the top of the food chain, their young face a different set of risks, including, in some cases, opportunistic attacks by small carnivores.
The researchers also point out that the attack was probably not motivated by hunger. The area was teeming with prey, such as young deer, suggesting that the fox acted out of opportunity rather than necessity.
The observation highlights a source of pup mortality that has probably been overlooked, but which could nevertheless play a role in the survival of wolves.
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