Keep calm and make noise if you feel unsafe: Here’s how to behave if you encounter a wolf

What is actually the right thing to do if you suddenly come face to face with a wolf in Denmark? See the official advice here.

19 min. ago

In recent days, playing children ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/ulv-har-opsoegt-legende-boern-i-private-haver-i-vestjylland ) in private kindergartens near Nørre Nebel, a runner ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/reels/ulv-jagter-en-loeber-i-nordjylland ) at Bunken Klitplantage in North Jutland, and restaurant guests ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/mens-droner-leder-efter-en-problemulv-luntede-der-i-aftes-en-ulv-rundt-ved-en-familierestaurant ) at 'Den Gyldne Pande' – also in Nørre Nebel – have experienced encountering a wolf up close.

But how should you actually behave if you cross paths with a wolf?

First and foremost, a typical encounter with a wolf will play out just like a typical encounter with any other animal, says Peter Sunde, wolf expert and professor at the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University.

- A typical wolf will not want you to come close and is not interested in you. That is the basic premise, unless we have a wolf with abnormal behavior, but that is a different category.

- We have the one we are trying to get under control right now; all the other wolves "behave" as they should.

According to Peter Sunde, you should stay calm and let the wolf pass. Learn more in the official advice below, which comes from the Danish Agency for Green Area Restructuring and Water Environment (Styrelsen for Grøn Arealomlægning og Vandmiljø) and to which Peter Sunde has contributed.

It is very rare for wolves to approach humans. But if you encounter a wolf that is not shy and comes closer than 30 meters, stand still, stay calm, and observe the animal. Feel free to take a photo or video as documentation.

That will disturb and stress it. Give it peace to retreat on its own.

If the wolf does not disappear on its own, shout loudly, clap your hands, or wave your arms. This signals that you are a human, which in itself is frightening to the wolf.

Do not turn your back on an approaching wolf, but continue to stare directly at it. Show dominance in the same way as you would toward an approaching, aggressive dog. Shout and clap your hands if it gets closer.

The wolf does not associate a car with humans and may therefore approach a vehicle. Stay in the car until the wolf has disappeared.

If you and the wolf first spot each other when you are very close, calmly back away while maintaining eye contact.

If the wolf feels threatened, it may growl and bare its teeth. This is not a sign that it will attack, but that it is afraid. The wolf will normally seek to flee as soon as it gets the chance.

If the wolf cannot escape – for example, in an enclosure or building – leave it alone and contact the authorities as soon as possible, who will handle it.

You must never approach a wolf that cannot get away. In such situations, it will naturally go into self-defense, and this can trigger a dangerous situation.

There have been no wolf attacks on humans in Denmark, but if the extremely unlikely event occurs that you are attacked by a wolf, you should offer maximum resistance: hit and kick and use any available weapon.

If the wolf attacks another person or your dog, hit and kick as hard as you can at the wolf's hindquarters. Do not go between the wolf and the victim.

You can also get advice on how to protect your dog in a potential encounter with a wolf ( https://sgavmst.dk/media/c4dgtocd/a5-flyer-hund-og-ulv-dk.pdf ), as well as how to avoid attracting wolves near your home ( https://sgavmst.dk/media/vvjbpixq/a5-flyer-ulv-naer-bolig-dk.pdf ). You can also report wolf observations to the national wolf monitoring program via ulveatlas.dk ( http://ulveatlas.dk )

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.