Our country, like much of Europe, is characterized by man-made landscapes intersected by many communication routes and scattered by numerous human settlements, from cities to villages, up to small villages and tiny hamlets on the edge of a wood.
For all the wildlife living on our continent it is essential to adapt to our presence, our roads, means of transport and all the human activities with which it can come into contact.
Generally most wild animals try to avoid direct encounters with humans, but cannot avoid all the human works that are part of the environment in which they live.
Thus, even for wolves, it is inevitable to occasionally frequent areas adjacent or internal to inhabited centers that are increasingly included within its ranges, or to move in sight of buildings and roads during the day and night hours, as it still is. more frequent for these animals to observe us on board a vehicle, even at a short distance.
However, there are some situations, fortunately still rare and which we hope will remain so, where anomalous behaviors by some wolves have occurred, as in the recent cases of wolf of Otranto or that of Potenza, until the case of Arvier.
Today it has become increasingly important to have the tools to be able to interpret the behavior of the wolf and be able to distinguish when they are attributable to normal behavior for the species compared to when instead they are attributable to a "confidant" wolf also called "bold wolf".
This is why we believe it is important to share this document developed by Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe, a group of specialists of the International Commission for Conservation of Nature IUCN, which analyzes, on a progressive scale, what can be the behaviors of a wolf: from those that fall within the normality of the species to the most serious ones, which can put human safety at risk.
The document offers not only an analysis of the possible behaviors of the wolf, but also of the management advice addressed to European bodies and administrations to deal with any problematic episodes.
Assessment of the wolf's behavior and assessment of the risk it may entail for human safety, with recommendations for action.
Behavior
of the wolf
Evaluation
risk
Action recommendation
The wolf passes near the (human) settlements in the dark.
Not dangerous
No action is needed.
The wolf moves during the day at a sighting distance from scattered settlements and houses.
Not dangerous
No action is needed.
The wolf does not immediately flee when he sees vehicles or humans. He stops and watches.
Not dangerous
No action is needed.
The wolf is sighted for several days within 30 feet of inhabited houses (multiple events over a longer period of time).
It requires attention.
Possible problem of strong habituation or positive conditioning
Analyze the situation.
Look for any attractants and remove them if found.
Consider deterrence.
The wolf repeatedly allows people to approach at a distance of less than 30m.
It requires attention.
Indicates a strong habituation.
Possible positive conditioning problem
Analyze the situation. Consider deterrence.
The wolf repeatedly approaches people at a distance of less than 30 m.
He seems to be interested in people.
Requires attention, critical situation.
Positive conditioning and a strong habituation can lead to more and more confident behavior.
Risk of accident / injury.
Analyze the situation. Consider deterrence.
The wolf attacks or injures a human being without being provoked.
Dangerous
Removal of the wolf.
The previous table was made by Large Carnivors Initiative Europe, a group of specialists from the IUCN International Commission for Conservation of Nature and is a document in support of management interventions available here. The graphic readjustment published here is available as a download in PDF format at the following link.
But how is it possible for a wolf to become a "confidant"
and lose his innate fear of man?
The causes may be different, but these anomalous behaviors, from what the little bibliography on the subject offers today and based on the experiences observed in our country, are often caused by the availability of food of human origin easily accessible to wolves: food waste, bad management of pets and dunghill, waste, food left out for pets and even voluntary foraging can alter the behavior of this intelligent canid which can, in a short time, associate the availability of food with the presence of man and human structures , thus losing his natural distrust of our world, irreparably crossing that border line that makes a "normal" wolf a "confidant" wolf.
For this it is necessary to reiterate once again that no wild must be fed for any reason, not even where it may appear in evident difficulty, even more so a large predator.
Feeding a wolf is the fastest and most irresponsible way to ensure that it must then be removed due to the altered behavior; we must be aware of this and understand how, from this point of view, it is our responsibility to ensure that these wild animals have the opportunity to stay "wild"Not approaching our world.
However, not only the availability of food can contribute to altering the behavior of a wolf: many other elements can reduce its innate fear towards us, one of which is the habituation of puppies during the first months of life in the presence of man.
This can happen in different contexts, such as in the case of excessive attendance and low maintenance of distances in the areas of appointment by alleged naturalist photographers in search of the perfect shot, as it can also happen unintentionally, especially where wolves decide to establish their own appointment, the area where the puppies are kept in the first months of life, near a town or a densely populated area.
At other times, even if rarely, apparently "wild" wolves were decidedly confident, only to be discovered later that they were real wolves illegally held by private individuals, perhaps since they were puppies, and subsequently released in nature when they had become little dogs a little too exuberant to keep in the garden.
But should we be afraid of wolves near the houses?
From the mere reading of the headlines of many newspapers, every day we read of wolves that go near the villages generating doubts and insecurities in those who live in these places, favoring the principle according to which these animals are no longer afraid of us and "The next to be eaten will be our children."
Fortunately, none of this corresponds to reality, and as we have seen, the presence of wolves near inhabited centers, especially if located near wooded or natural areas, is now quite normal, just as the possibility of finding in the morning a “torn” roe deer a few meters from our house in the mountains or in any other area where the wolf and its prey are present, including the Po Valley; qhis does not mean that wolves are not afraid of us, but it should be interpreted in the opposite sense:
the wolf fears us and knows well that the night is the time to act, just when we are asleep and can approach our homes, just like its prey do.
Conversely, one or more wolves stationed or repeatedly present near an inhabited center represent a different discourse: as we have seen in the previous table, at that point, it will be necessary to intervene and understand the reasons behind these anomalous behaviors.
For our part, the best thing we can do in order not to have wolves or other wild animals around in our yard is not to give them valid reasons to approach our stable, our house, our dung, managing our pets correctly, waste disposal and possible sources of food.
But is it true that "hybrid" wolves are more confident in humans and for this reason represent a problem?
Even that of "They are hybrids, they are not afraid" it is a hoax that we often read in the newspapers, in the exploitation of a complex issue such as that of hybridization.
To date, there is no scientific evidence of any kind to assert that a wolf that has canine genes in its DNA in a certain amount is more or less confident in humans.
The wolf is a cultural animal: the behavioral characteristics of puppies are learned and acquired thanks to the teachings and examples given by adults: also the distrust and fear of humans, as well as hunting strategies, the preference of prey species, the recognition of possible dangers, safe paths and places in which to move and rest are aspects largely learned through cultural transmission.
Simplifying, the wolf "learns" to be afraid of man, and therefore it will not be possible canine genes present in his DNA to make him more or less confident with us. (To learn more about the topic of hybridization, we invite you to read this article).
But in the near future should we consider it normal to have wolves in highly man-made contexts, such as near big cities?
This is a legitimate question, and as an association we have often found ourselves talking about this issue, to really understand if our society can afford to have super predators on the outskirts of our big cities, or if the presence of the wolf should somehow be relegated to contexts more "suited" to the species.
Surely there is no simple answer to such a complex issue that involves multiple aspects, but what we would like to say is that the phenomenon of wolves on the edge of large cities or sometimes within them, is something that requires the utmost attention. since it is precisely in these contexts that the possibility of getting used to us increases.
To date, it is not known whether, in a "perfect future", where all the reasons that lead wolves to approach an inhabited center will be eliminated, they will stop frequenting these areas.
However, we can hypothesize that, due to the possible saturation of many mountain ranges, they will continue to frequent the edges of the cities, also considering that its natural prey such as roe deer or wild boar are often present in these contexts.
Furthermore, the future presence of wolves in these areas will be linked to the degree of acceptance that the inhabitants of the cities will demonstrate towards these predators.
In conclusion, we will never tire of repeating how coexistence with wild animals is a theme that involves us all, at every level of society, and that today more than ever it is necessary not only to provide good information on these issues, but to imagine the near future. where these animals will be closer and closer to us.
We must do everything to make this coexistence possible, but we must also be ready to accept exceptional compromises and interventions that can guarantee the safety of all, humans and animals.
It is therefore our duty to do everything possible so that wolves can live in their world without our behavior interfering with theirs, often irreparably altering habits and behaviors that can cut the fine line between the life of man and that of these animals. wild.