Read on Twitter
We have been asked countless times, “Do you guys carry a gun in the woods for protection from the wolves?” The answer to that question is: No.
This is a long-thread so apologies but feel the info in it is worth sharing (1/13)
This is a long-thread so apologies but feel the info in it is worth sharing (1/13)
We are not concerned about wolves attacking us when in the field because all of the evidence is pretty clear: wolves are not a threat to human safety. We would even take it a step further: if anyone in the world should get attacked by wolves, it should be us! (2/13)
The first reason: we visit wolf dens every spring where we often see adult wolves and are handling pups. Yet, we have not had 1 aggressive encounter! There are few instances where wolves would have as much motive for attacking people than when people arrive at their den. (3/13)
The second reason: we have had 8 people in the field pretty much everyday from April to October literally visiting all of the areas wolves spend time. In doing so, we have found hundreds of kills, some of which wolves returned to after we left the kill. (4/13)
And in some instances, wolves were still in the area when we visited the kill. If disturbing a wolf’s kill is what triggers an attack then we definitely should have been attacked by now. Yet, we have never had a wolf so much as approach us when checking out these kills. (5/13)
The 3rd reason: we know from our GPS-collar data that we are frequently close to wolves when in the field. We generally don't see but we know we were not far apart. And again, we are typically spending most of our time in the very areas wolves like to spend time! (6/13)
If being in close proximity to wolves on a frequent basis is what increases the odds of getting attacked, then someone on our crew should have been attacked by now. (7/13)
And yet, despite these reasons and years of intensive fieldwork, we have not had 1 even remotely concerning encounter. This does not mean we have not had close encounters with wolves. We have had dozens. (8/13)
But a close encounter where the wolf does not immediately flee does not mean the wolf is being aggressive or showing a lack of fear. Sometimes wolves, like most other animals, are just curious or inquisitive. (9/13)
Now, these are just our experiences but the data across North America only substantiates our observations. There are literally millions of people across North America who hike, camp, and live in wolf country and yet wolf attacks are almost unheard of. (10/13)
Sure, there have been a few EXTREMELY rare instances where wolves have attacked people but this is also true of white-tailed deer. Interestingly, no one we know regards deer as a threat to human safety (outside of vehicle collisions). (11/13)
Based on the recorded data on wolf attacks in North America, “a person in wolf country has a greater chance of being killed by a dog, lightning, a bee sting or a car collision with a deer than being injured by a wolf.” (12/13)
The last quote is from “Are wolves dangerous to humans?” by the International Wolf Center: https://wolf.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Are-Wolves-Dangerous-to-Humans.pdf (13/13)
