Fear is still very much alive, but what is the reality of wolf attacks in today's developed countries and society ? Do wolves really see humans as prey ? As we saw earlier, many theories about wolves and the attacks they commited on humans have survived the centuries, more often negative than positive. Knowledge about wolves didn't really emerge until the mid-to-late 20th century; before then, their habits and functioning were largely unknown, and therefore mostly interpreted without hindsight or knowledge. They were seen as bloodthirsty, cruel beasts, killing purely for pleasure, real psychopaths in the animal kingdom. Not least because of the mass attacks on livestock, killing many and leaving others to die, an unbearable sight for farmers and shepherds alike.

Today, we know that these surplus killings are not the result of pathological behavioral deviance, nor of any perversion or cruelty (those two being the exclusive prerogative of humans), but rather of an instinct, specific to other species such as dogs, foxes, weasels, hyenas and so on. "Surplus Killing", as we also call it, is due to the predatory instinct of predators, who kill more than they need to consume. But when this happens, there are specific circumstances :

- the weakness of domesticated prey, due in particular to the various crossbreeds & genetic manipulations made by humans, against a so-called natural evolution (i.e. the opposite of wild prey). This means they are unable to escape from the predator and seek shelter in areas inaccessible to the predator.

- an environment where prey is temporarily immobilized or vulnerable, such as heavy snow or prey trapped in an enclosure or enclosed space.

- a weakness in the protection of livestock (insufficient means of protection or, sometimes, none at all --> unprotected pastures in particular). It is essential to remember that fences alone, without a shepherd or guardian dog, can have a limited period of effectiveness once wolves have figured out how to penetrate them.

During these excess predations, wolves will be aroused by the panicked movements of their prey, trying to flee from them, and will bite, claw and kill as long as the prey still move or run, or even after the consumption has begun or returning several times during the night. It's also instinctive, given that the predator doesn't know when the next time he can eat will be. The resulting damage is shocking, and leaves livestock farmers in a state of despondency and incomprehension, as wolves have, in the end, only eaten the amount of meat they need. In the wild, wolves would return to eat their prey in the following days. However, like all instincts, "Surplus killing" is neither controllable nor modifiable, which means that the protection provided must be as complete as possible, with the presence of guardian dogs, human protection (shepherd or volunteers) and electrified fences up to standard. This trio has long been recognized, particularly in countries that have always lived with wolves or other predators. This system avoids the notorious surplus killings thanks to the intervention of dogs and shepherds.

Wolves are one of those animal species that generate very extreme positions in terms of "popularity rating", immediately tipping the subject into pure emotion, especially in political spheres, unfortunately. In fact, they can be hated by some and adored by others, both extremes being highly negative, and in no way leading to in-depth, rational and factual knowledge and vision of the animal.

In the subject we're interested in, vision and opinion will, strongly and logically, direct the positions of wolves detractors or "fans" as to whether or not the wild canid represents a danger to human. Clearly, a person who admires wolves and another who clearly fears or dislikes them will have absolutely different perceptions at the time of an encounter. The notion of time the wolf took before leaving, of danger or even the behaviors adopted will therefore vary, depending on the person and his/her feelings, whether positive (no fear, fascination) or negative (fear or hatred). Unfortunately, in the latter case, ignorance and fear can lead to poor reflexes and reactions, with more problematic consequences.

So let's take a look at John Linnell's report to show you where we stand, in the 21st century, in our knowledge of wolves and the situation about attacks on humans, whether bites or fatal predations. 

Here are some statistics on all the attacks that took place worldwide between 2002 and 2020 :

- A total of 489 attacks, including 26 fatalities.

- 78% of attacks (non-lethal and lethal) were carried out by rabid wolves, i.e. 380 out of 489.

- 14 of the 26 deaths were due to bites from rabid individuals in Turkey (9 cases), Kazakhstan (1 case) and India (4 cases).

- 12 fatal predatory attacks (neither human-induced nor rabies-related) occurred between 2002 and 2020 in Iran (6 deaths), Turkey (3 deaths), Tajikistan (1 death), USA (1 death) and Canada (1 death). In the case of USA & Cananda, it should be noted that the American wolves are larger than the European gray wolves, since the individuals present in Switzerland weighs an average of 38kg, whereas their American/Canadian cousin can reach 50 to 70kg. Both attacks also took place in very isolated and remote regions, where the level of anthropization of the landscape is in no way comparable to that found in the Alps.

The majority of these predatory attacks have taken place in contexts that need to be studied in greater depth to gain a better understanding. They occurred in overpopulated regions, where socio-economic conditions were extremely precarious. This brings us closer to the societal lifestyle of the Middle Ages. In these areas, there is also a real lack of natural prey, forcing the wolf to hunt livestock. Waste management, which is a real problem in many underdeveloped countries, also enables predators to link humans to easy access to food. The context for predatory attacks is therefore greatly enhanced when all these elements are put together.

However, in a context where prey is plentiful and waste is properly eliminated, as is the case in our country today, the wolf's proximity to human can also have a positive effect in terms of incident risk ! Yes, the habituation to living in anthropized areas reduces reactions to certain external factors, and the wolf increases his tolerance to the proximity of anthropogenic influences. In other words, living around us enables wildlife to understand how we work, to become accustomed to our presence, to tolerate us and to be less reactive. It's scientifically proven that animals living far from human civilization are far more reactive to human contact, which can lead to both defensive and predatory attacks.
 

Today, we know that with all types of predator, the management of garbage and food must be very strict and regulated. Feeding, whether involuntary (discarded food scraps, garbage left out in the open) or deliberate (attracting the predator to observe/photograph it, attempt to poison it or provoke its shooting) is a serious drift, which can lead to equally serious consequences. It's up to the public to understand this fact, and under no circumstances attempt to leave food or garbage in places where predators live. 

And when it comes to managing practices during wolf regulation shots, it's imperative to lay down (and monitor their proper application in the field) strict rules regarding baiting near residential areas and villages. This was demonstrated during the proactive regulation phase in Valais in winter 2023/2024, with supporting evidence. Apart from being reprehensible and stupid, this action clumsily conceals an intention to demonstrate that wolves are getting too close to humans and... to rekindle fear, by arguing on a pseudo loss of fear of human ! These are harmful and malicious procedures, which the official authorities should denounce and publicly condemn, as they run counter to what the swiss governement and cantonal authorities claim they want to apply, i.e. "teaching" wolves the right behaviours. Unfortunately, however, this is not what is happening !

To avoid defensive attacks, caused by the animal's instinctive reactions, all you need to do is understand how wolves work and their instincts, and apply a few simple rules during encounters :

- Stop during the encounter.
- Give the wolf time to leave ! Depending on the distance between you, this can take several minutes! This has nothing to do with any "loss of fear of human", but simply stems from the greater or lesser safety distance and the need, for the predator and any animal, to identify and assess the situation !
- Don't stare into the animal's eyes, but look away.
- Slowly back away to restore distance, if necessary.
- Clap your hands and shout "go away" if the animal's curiosity persists (often young wolves).
- NEVER RUN !

It's also important to avoid certain actions, such as trying to pull a sheep out of the wolf's mouth (resource protection, survival instinct), going near a den where the pack has its pups (protection) or trying to approach or touch a sick, wounded or trapped individual (survival instinct). The error will then be 100% human, stemming from a lack of understanding of canine instincts or deliberate provocation/bullying.

We can therefore see that the vast majority of wolf attacks on humans (78%) are due to rabies and that the context and societal mode have a clear influence on the remaining 22%. Based on the number of wolves in the world, 60,000 on the American continent and around 17,000 on the European continent, these figures and percentages clearly show that attacks on humans are extremely rare, putting the probability at around 0.0000001%.

To avoid any incidents, it is necessary to enact laws to enable rapid intervention in the event of abnormal or suspicious behavior on the part of the predator. In order to take the best possible measures, it is therefore essential to have a thorough knowledge of wild canids, to know which behaviours, attitudes or situations can increase the risk of an incident, and to proceed in a clear manner, both for the population and for the authorities.

We would also like to mention the data on the dangerousness of wolves, published in 2021 by the Office Fédéral de la Biodiversité (OFB), the result of a field study carried out between 1993 and 2020 in France. The various accounts of sightings and encounters with wolves were collected in a database. They took into account factors such as the observers (age, sex, socio-professional category), the context of the observation, the reactions adopted (cries, sudden gestures, approach, passivity, flight) and, of course, the behavior of wolves. A total of 3881 interactions were scrutinized, and the results speak for themselves : only ten encounters resulted in the wolf reacting in a supposed "aggressive" manner (a simple growling). It should be noted that in ten out of ten cases, the observer's reactions were intrusive and inappropriate. But the conclusion is clear : no interaction led to any kind of aggression, wolves have always run away !  

Thanks to John Linnell's report, the traced facts and, above all, the scientific evidence, which ensures the identity of the animal that provoked an attack at 100%, we can now have a better idea of just how dangerous wolves really are. In 2023, thanks to many decades of field studies, the advent of thermal vision equipment and genetics, we have obtained real, solid and undeniable knowledge about wolves, their habits and how their functions. But we've also come to realize, through all these documents, that we'll never be able to have a thorough, certified view of what happened in previous centuries. Consequently, current reports, figures and facts, based on our own societal mode and the situation in our country, must, logically and without possible discussion, be the point of reference when it comes to the dangers that wolves could represent for human in the 21st century.

Given that "zero" risk does not exist when it comes to living beings and nature, the Swiss population needs to be informed and even trained in the correct behavior towards canids, at all levels. In this way, encounters with wolves will go more smoothly, and bad reactions and incidents could be avoided.



Dictionary

Societal mode      Pertaining to the various aspects of the social life of individuals, insofar as they constitute an organized society.    
Rabies                 Deadly virus transmitted to humans through the saliva of infected animals. It affects the nervous system.

Photos : Depositphoto, illustration, Sébastien Farcis (@lecercle) & Wolf Mission 

Références : NINA report by John Linnell & Fauna Valais

NEXT CHAPTER :  THE DOG, TRUE INNOCENT OR FORGOTTEN CULPRIT ?