Wolf Crossing

Danger does lurk for humans with all large predators, but that danger increases if the predator is habituated thus lacking respect for human presence. Studies, incidents and examples make it clear that habituated wolves are even more likely to cause harm or even death to humans.

In the first part of the series “Stalking the Habituated Wolf”, the basic definition of what is a habituated predator and general habituated wolf behavior. Part 2 of this series presents incidents, examples and studies of habitual wolves. An outline of escalation of habitual wolf behavior is also presented.

In part 1 of this series “Stalking the Habituated Wolf”,

Habituated, habitual, habituation, etc all these words are related to the idea of a habit. In the case of dangerous predators habituated is all about their lack of respect for the human presence. Habituation, through various means, reduces the wolves’ fear of human presence and increases the danger to humans especially children.

The quandary is that pro-wolf groups often herald from the highest mountains that a human has never been killed in North America. This statement is not only misleading but false. This statement also causes danger to all that do not understand that wolves have killed in North American and many other countries and the escalation behaviors that lead to a human being attacked or killed.

The pro-wolf groups simply dismiss that any danger exists with wolves. Often times we hear that the wolves were only curious. One component that has occurred in many of these attacks and killings is the habituation of the wolves and their initial testing of humans to see if they were a prey source. This behavior might look curious but it is an escalation of behavior.

Escalation of Habitual Wolf Behavior

In discussing incidents, examples and studies of habituated wolves it is important to understand the escalation of behavior.

Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, the University of Calgary, describes the wolf habituation behavior observed as the following:

(a) Severe depletion of natural prey.
(b) Followed by wolves searching for alternative food sources among human habitations.
(c) The brazen behavior of wolves was due to the wolves being undeterred by and habituated to inefficiently armed humans (or ineffectual use of weapons or outright protection of wolves),
(d) Wolves tested and killed livestock; the tests resulted in docked tails and ears of cattle.
(e) Wolves shifted to preying on pets and livestock, especially on dogs. (In our neighborhood one or several wolves attacked dogs despite the physical intervention by their owners which the wolves more or less ignored). Common behavior among wolves in Finland.
(f) The wolves commenced deliberate, drawn-out exploration of humans be such on foot or on horseback, (this is not merely visual and olfactory, but included – weeks before these wolves attacked a human – the licking, nipping and tearing of clothing. Beatty 2000). For instance Raila Ahonen in 2005.
(g) This was followed by wolves confronting humans. For instance Veikko Kokko in 2005.
(h) Wolves attack humans.

Rancher dealing with wolves in Arizona. Adding insult to injury, not only killing off his calf crop but hanging around his home. Here these wolves chased him back his driveway to his front porch while his wife wields the camera. At least this rancher had a home to run to with 4 solid walls. This behavior tracking, following and chasing humans, does make for a safe environment for people that like to hike, camp, hunt, fish, or trail ride in or near the national forest.

Incidents and Examples of Habitual Wolf Encounters or Attacks

Professor Geist mentioned about incidents that have occurred to him, his wife and neighbors

My wife and I and our neighbors experienced between 1999 and 2003 stages (a) to (g) when a wolf pack settled close to us in an agricultural area on central Vancouver Island (Geist 2003). These wolves were terminating habituation by seeking out humans and their habitation, killing and maiming pets and livestock and inspecting and confronting humans. No attacks on humans materialized by “our” wolves after they began approaching us for they were shot. [Note in Canada it is legal to shoot wolves] Others were trapped by a predator control officer. Stage (h), attack on humans, was done not by the pack close to us, but by two wolves from another Vancouver Island pack. Two wolves from a pack of seven attacked a man in a campground on July 2nd 2000, leading to severe injuries. The pack had become habituated and then, apparently, food-conditioned to the camp ground on Vargas Island just off Tofino, British Columbia (Beatty, 2000). These wolves for weeks prior had not merely approached people, but had sniffed and licked visitors and performed hesitant attacks and were warded off. They attacked the camper at night while he was sleeping in the open. He was saved by fellow campers, but sustained injuries severe enough requiring hospitalization and some 50 stitches to close the wounds.

In the southwestern US we have seen all these behaviors including a human being bitten by the now re-relased Durango Pack Female.

Mexican gray wolves have followed people home and even approached people on horse back. In this horseback attack not only the dogs but the alpha female stood on the horses shoulder and snapped at the horse’s throat. While you might think this is hard to believe the pictures are clear including the horses ears to its rider saying “Hey I do not like the looks of this!”

Rider dealing with wolves on the trail. An hours long standoff with the Campbell Blue pack of five individual wolves resulted in one dog injury and a very long day holed up in a shed at a remote camp. Fish and Wildlife Service and Sheriff’s Deputies responded to his radio call for help. The rancher did not harm the wolves in any way though he was armed with a 22 and had every opportunity and reason.

Habituated Mexican gray wolves have also charged in at child (her dogs intercepted) and have encircled a child. Both of these accounts and other cases of habituated wolves were discussed in an article tiled “Wolf Program Management Actions Show Children are Expendable“. But the wolf program “experts” determined the wolves that circled the boy for 5 to 10 minutes was just curious. Taking in to context Professor Grist’s behavioral list, this incident fits with the wolves confronting a human and was just one step away from an attack.

In another case with children, a 14 year old girl out had two Mexican wolves hold her horseback for 5 minutes before she was able to convince them she might shoot them. She got lucky, as if her horse had spooked, she could have found herself on the ground facing down two wolves.

May 2007, three different wolf packs are near peoples homes howling and hanging around in New Mexico. Nothing has been done by the wolf “managers” to discourage the wolves from hanging around peoples homes.

Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, the University of Calgary, documents in his article “Some Information for People in Areas where Wolves have Become Common” the attack on Kenton Joel Carnegie who was killed by four wolves in 2005, as confirmed by the Canadian corner that investigated Carnegie’s death.

On November the 8th, 2005, a 22-year-old third-year geological engineering student at the University of Waterloo by the name of Kenton Joel Carnegie, was killed by four wolves at Points North Landing, Wollaston Lake area, in northern Saskatchewan. This case is unique in that it is the first direct human fatality from a wolf attack in North America in recent times. There have been people bitten by rabid wolves and killed, but such kills “do not count” as it is the rabies virus, not the wolf-bite that killed.

Fresh snow allowed accurate track reading. Mr. Carnegie was by himself when he was approached by the wolves from behind. He fell three times before failing to rise. There have been other attacks in Canada, historical and recent. Mr. Fred Desjarlais was recently attacked and wounded by a wolf in Northern Saskatchewan. There are also unreported recent attacks by wolves in Saskatchewan, one of which I was informed on in some detail. A local rancher was attacked by three wolves while deer hunting. He killed two.

We are aware that the four wolves in question had been observed and photographed by others, and that Mr. Carnegie was aware of this. Unfortunately, neither he nor those who discussed the matter with him, as reported on by the Saskatoon Star phoenix of Nov. 14th 2005, were aware that tame and inquisitive wolves are a signal of danger.

It is clear that these wolves had lost their fear of humans and these wolves were noted to have shown curious behaviors just days prior to the attack.

Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, the University of Calgary, goes on to discuss why are tame and inquisitive wolves a sign of danger.

However, when wolves run out of their preferred prey, they begin to explore alternative prey. They do so very cautiously, and over an extended time period. This exploration for an alternative food is manifest in wolves becoming – increasingly - tame and inquisitive. My neighbors, my wife and I have had experiences in recent years with one wolf pack which ran out of prey and shifted its attention onto farms and suburbs. I have been investigated three times in the open by wolves, the same wolves threatened my wife twice, once on our door step, the same wolves attacked and killed neighbor dogs, followed riders and “nibbled at” and killed livestock.

People that commonly work with wolves are also at risk due to constant contact with the wolves thus the wolves habituated response to humans (taming) as was experienced in the case of Heather Mueller, where her arm was reportedly ripped off when two of the gray wolves she was working with at “Out of Africa Wildlife Park” in Camp Verde, Az, decided to attack.

The Arizona Daily Star documented the attack.

A female handler at a wildlife park in Camp Verde suffered major injuries to her arms and legs after two wolves attacked her inside an exhibit, authorities said.

Heather Mueller, 34, lost a significant amount of blood and was in stable condition Friday after undergoing surgery at John C. Lincoln-North Mountain in Phoenix.

Mueller, a handler at the Out of Africa Wildlife Park, was attacked around noon Thursday inside a large, enclosed habitat area that has not been opened to the public yet and where the North American gray wolves had recently been released at the park, officials said.

Reports show after the attack she was listed in critical be stable condition after the attack.

Another woman was also recently attacked when recapturing the now re-released Durango pack female. It is reported that her fingers were bitten and blood was drawn although US Fish and Wildlife Services disputes this incident occurred or that even a woman was involved.

Studies of Wolf Human Interactions

Mark E McNay compiled a case history of 80 wolf human encounters where wolves showed little fear of people. This case history is titled “A CASE HISTORY OF WOLF–HUMAN ENCOUNTERSIN ALASKA AND CANADA” and was published by Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Technical Bulletin 13, 2002

In McNay’s published study, he documents case history he obtained from biologists and law enforcement officers in Alaska and Canada, from public health records, from the published literature, and from interviews with private citizens who witnessed the events.

He found in thirty-nine cases contain elements of aggression among healthy wolves, 12 cases involve known or suspected rabid wolves, and 29 cases document fearless behavior among nonaggressive wolves. In 6 cases in which healthy wolves acted aggressively, the people were accompanied by dogs. This aggressive behavior vs. rabid wolves dispels the myth that only rabid wolves attack.

McNay’s study on wolf human encounters is available on line and I do suggest it for interesting reading. A few of the case studies on habituated wolves which show an escalation of habitual behavior of the wolves towards humans.

In many of his case studies shows documentation of children being bitten and dragged off and even a grown men have been drug off by wolves.

CASE 1 — Vargas Island, British Columbia, 2000.
… another group of 18 people camped at a nearby campsite. Most slept in tents, but 2 men laid their sleeping bags in the open near a campfire ring.

One of the campers near the fire awakened at 1:30 AM to find a wolf sitting on the end of his sleeping bag. The startled camper yelled, but the wolf did not move. Another camper in a nearby tent heard the shouts and discharged a noisemaker that scared the wolf away. The man who had encountered the wolf moved into a tent, but the second camper remained outside and was awakened by a wolf pulling on his sleeping bag about 2:00 AM. The wolf dragged the man a few meters but released its grip and took a step backward when the man awakened and shouted. The wolf then moved forward, attacking the man’s upper body that was still encased in the sleeping bag. Again the man shouted, attempted to fend the wolf off with his arms, and began rolling back toward the fire pit, but the wolf attacked the back of the man’s head inflicting serious lacerations and lifting part of the victim’s scalp. Eventually, fellow campers emerged from their tents and drove the wolf away. The victim estimated the attack lasted for about 5 minutes. He was transported to a hospital in Victoria B.C. where he was treated for injuries to his scalp, back and hands. It required more than 50 stitches to close the wounds in his scalp.

Early the next morning conservation officers killed 2 wolves near the campsite, a young male weighing 37 kg and a young female weighing 29 kg. Both wolves were in good condition and tested negative for rabies. The gastrointestinal tracts of both wolves contained remains of ungulate prey but no evidence of human food or garbage. Reproductive organs in both wolves appeared to be immature, suggesting the animals were approximately 14 months of age at the time of the attack….

In another case a wolf was not shy around humans or the helicopter. This wolf did not test positive for rabies and the wolf did not run when the men waved their arms as we are often told will dissuade wolves.

CASE 19 — Whale Cove, Northwest Territories, 1985.

On 13 December biologists Robert Mulders and Mark Williams were capturing barren-ground caribou about 65 km southwest of Whale Cove, a small community on the west coast of Hudson Bay in what is now the territory of Nunavut. At 1:40 PM they captured an adult female caribou with a skid-mounted net gun from a Bell 206B helicopter and landed to process the animal. As they knelt over the netted caribou, Mulders noticed an approaching wolf at a distance of 200 m. The helicopter engine was still running, but the wolf ran within 10 m of the spinning tail rotor as it approached the men. Both men stood, shouted and stepped toward the wolf waving their arms. As Mulders took several strides toward the wolf, it moved to their right in a low stalking crouch. When the men turned and faced the wolf, it circled around further to the right, as if to outflank them. Mulders, who was closest to the wolf, maintained direct eye contact and took a step back and to the right as the wolf came within a few meters. The wolf quickly moved in and grabbed Mulder’s left leg, just below the shin. Mulders leaned over and struck the wolf in the head with his bare fist, but the wolf maintained a firm grip for about 10–15 seconds. Williams then stepped forward and struck the wolf on the head with a caribou radio collar, knocking the wolf unconscious. Mulders subsequently struck the wolf twice on the top of the skull with the collar and punctured the wolf’s chest cavity with a knife. The wolf’s bite caused a small 4 cm tear in Mulders’ wind-pants and a small lesion to his shin.

In another case a child was actually snatched or lifted by the wolf and tossed like a toy. If the parents had been a few steps further away this case 16 of a family’s picnic could have had a very different ending.

CASE 16 — Algonquin Provincial Park, 1998.

In June visitors reported frequent sightings of a fearless wolf near Two Lakes in Algonquin Park. Four wildlife students interacted with the wolf for over 40 minutes and they described the wolf as, “…cautious and curious, never frightened. It seemed to genuinely be enjoying its contact with us, as a dog might.” The students described the wolf as imitating their behavior, slowly approaching within a few meters then jumping away before starting all over again.

Possibly, the wolf scavenged food from camping and picnic areas, but park officials found no evidence that the wolf had been fed, or that people had seen the wolf eating human foods. Throughout the summer the wolf was sighted almost daily, probably by thousands of people. Campers, who were thrilled to see a wild wolf so close, reported the wolf was unconcerned by the presence of people. However, the wolf was aggressive toward dogs on at least 4 occasions.

In late September the wolf’s behavior suddenly changed when it stalked a man and woman walking with their 4-year-old daughter; the wolf appeared to be intent on approaching the child. The parents blocked the wolf’s attempts to reach the child and sprayed it with pepper spray but could not discourage the wolf’s approach. When the child and her mother finally found refuge in a nearby trailer, the wolf lost interest and left.

Two days later the wolf emerged from the brush and walked into the Two Rivers campground where another couple with 2 children were packing to leave. One of the children, a 19-month-old boy, was sitting on the ground 6 m from his father. The wolf grabbed the small boy by the rib cage and tossed him about 1 m; the mother immediately picked the child off the ground and climbed atop a picnic table. The father and other campers confronted the wolf and drove it away. The boy was treated for several puncture wounds on his chest and back. Park officials concluded the attack appeared to be a case of attempted predation.

The male wolf was found and killed the same day. Rabies tests were negative, and in all other respects the wolf appeared normal. The wolf had a DNA profile typical of local wolves and therefore, was probably not a captive or hybrid wolf.

Wolves bit people in 4 other instances in Algonquin Park between 1987 and 1996. However, this fifth case represents the only case where elements of predation were clearly present. In all 5 cases the wolves exhibited habituated behavior toward people prior to inflicting bites. At that time, park officials estimated that roughly 12 wolves had exhibited noteworthy, habituated behavior since the early 1970s; 4 of those wolves eventually were involved in biting incidents.

Another extensive source for many of habituated wolves attacking on humans comes from Abundant Wildlife Society of North America. Many of the attacks listed were documented by John James Audubon.

In one instance, T. R. Mader, taped an interview of the following wolf attack which occurred in the 1980’s.

A forester employed by the Province of British Colombia was checking some timber for possible harvest in the 1980s. He was met by a small pack of three wolves. The forester yelled at the wolves to frighten them away. Instead, the wolves came towards him in a threatening manner and he was forced to retreat and climb a nearby tree for safety.

The wolves remained at the base of the tree. The forester had a portable radio, but was unable to contact his base, due to distance, until evening. When the call for help came in, two Conservation Officers with the Ministry of Environment were flown to the area by floatplane to rescue the treed forester.

When the Conservation Officers arrived, the forester was still in the tree and one wolf, the apparent leader of the pack, was still at the base of the tree. The officers, armed with shotguns, shot at the wolf and missed. The wolf ran for cover and then started circling and howling near the two officers. After a couple missed shots, the wolf was finally shot and killed.

The wolf tested negative for rabies. It appeared healthy in every respect, but was very lean. The Conservation Officers felt the attack was caused by hunger. (Taped Interviews and a photo of the wolf on file at Abundant Wildlife Society of North America.)

The Final Stage in Habituation; Man Eating Wolves and Child Lifting

Man eating wolves and child lifting are two words used to describe the most dangerous type of wolf human encounter. This is a case of when the habituated wolf decides to prey on humans.

In the past there have also been habituated wolves that specialized in child lifting and man eating as documented at a Finnish site.

The area by far worst affected by man-eating wolves was the Carelian Isthmus and there the municipality of Kivennapa where wolves killed 24 persons between 1787 and 1850. The population was 3.137 adults 1729. In 1721, Sweden seceded the area to Russia and the forests of Kivennapa were awarded to a rifle factory which prohibited all hunting and tree felling. The prohibition remained in force until 1812 when the Carelian Isthmus was returned to the autonomous Russian Grand Duchy of Finland by tsar Alexander I as a friendly gesture after Sweden had seceded Finland to Russia in 1809. The population being unarmed and inexperienced, the man-eating continued until 1850.

This gentleman continues to document many cases of habituated wolves but includes information about the famous wolves that specialized in child lifting which still occurs in India and some third world countries today.

…wolves built their dens close to grazing grounds instead of far in the wilderness, predated on cattle and became fearless or aggressive toward people. In 1877, wolves close to Tampere started predating on children and in 1880, two packs close to Turku followed suit. The Turku wolves became international celebrities for the large number of successful attacks – 22 in as many months.

In an interesting note the horse slaughtering Aspen wolf pack that attacked near a child is now denning within ¼ mile of private land with a home. The home owners asked New Mexico Game and Fish to remove these wolves and the agency decided that wolves’ denning within ¼ mile of private land is considered acceptable and not a threat to human safety.

In another child lifting case

Teperi cites the account of a child survivor of a wolf attack, Ms Eeva Elina Kustaantytär Laakso, born 9.8.1872 [8/9/1872], deceased 21.4.1960 [4/21/1960], buried in the cemetery of Halikko east of Turku. A wolf attacked Eeva in 1880 when she was 7 years of age. Her account of the attack: “Then I saw how a big gray animal ran from the forest towards us. It jumped a high fence and was close to us with a couple of jumps. We froze in fear. – The wolf stopped in front of me, rose up on its hind legs, put its paws on my shoulders and pressed me down. I felt its breath on my face as I sank into the snow. – The other children were at first stiff with fear but then run away screaming. The wolf grabbed my chest with its teeth and started dragging me towards the forest to start its meal. I had a thick woolen scarf around my head and shoulders to protect me from the cold, which protected me from the teeth of the wolf. Therefore it did not get a proper grip and I fell on the snow. – Then it again took me in its teeth, shook me in the air and threw me on the ground. And as if to find out if I was dead, it put its ear against my chest. I was conscious the whole time, but completely paralyzed by the fear of death, so that I hardly felt when it grabbed my chest once more and tried to reach the forest.”

Mr. Lappalainen (see below) writes on the same incident: Mr. Janne Mäkilä, who was hauling timber with pair of bullocks and happened to pass by, saved Eeva. The wolf let go of Eeva but stayed and watched at the edge of the forest while Mr. Mäkilä carried the bleeding girl in his arms and carried her home. Eeva’s mother thought that she was dead, as she was covered with blood and paralyzed with chock. She survived, however, and bore deep scars in her face and had a limp for the rest of her life.

The wolf, which attacked Eeva, was not one of the later famous Turku wolves, which mainly operated north of the city and killed their last victim 18.11.1881 [11/18/1881]. This individual operated east of Turku and was luckily killed by the German hunter Wilhelm Both after just a few attacks on children. Mr. Both was staying at the Halikko mansion as guest of count Armfelt. The latter brought the skin of the wolf to the sickbed of Eeva, who later told how terrified she was when she saw the skin of her attacker.

While you might think these incidents are a world away and a century past, the stage has been set in North America, specifically the southwest, with captive bred habituated wolves are behaving in the escalating behavior. With habituated wolves escalating and no repercussions for the wolves bold behavior history looks ready to repeat again.

Presented here is just a small percentage of the attacks and kills by habituated wolves on humans. For some additional reading on habituated wolf attacks on humans

• McNay’s A Case History of Wolf-Human Encounters in Alaska and Canada
• Wolf Attacks on Humans
• Some Information for People in Areas Where Wolves Have Become Common by Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, the University of Calgary
• Wolves have Attacked Humans; Wolf Cult Refuses to Believe Wolves are Dangerous
• Wolves in Russia unmasks the Disneyesque view of wolves propagandized in the U.S. Wolves is a stunning, fact-laden account of pandemic and devastating loss of livestock, game animals and human beings from wolf predation.

Wolves are dangerous predators to humans and habituation of these wolves only increases the danger. What is just as dangerous is the education and wolf propaganda machine that only promote the benevolent wolf image. This leads people to not understand when they are under attack or threatened.

Next – Danger Lurks with Wolf Education and Wolf Propaganda that Promotes the Shy and Benevolent Wolf – Part 3: Stalking the Habitual Wolf