What Are the Dangers of Gray Wolves?

Livestock and Domesticated Animals

• The largest and most abundant danger that wolves pose is the hunting and killing of livestock and domesticated animals. When wolf territory extends to near human habitation or farmland, the packs may begin to experiment with preying on the smaller animals they find in those areas, such as dogs, cats and small livestock. If this proves an abundant source of food, the wolves will move on to larger livestock such as cattle or horses, becoming bolder in the process. In addition to the loss of animals, spending more time in human-habituated areas will cause the wolves to lose their natural wariness of humans, leading to further aggressiveness and possible attacks.

Danger to Humans

• Wolves are predatory pack animals, but rarely look to humans as prey. According to "The Fear of Wolves: A Review of Wolf Attacks on Humans," in the 20th century there has not been a single human within North America that has been killed by a wolf. Deaths do occur elsewhere in the world, typically in children and smaller adults, but this behavior is not instinctive to gray wolves and the review purposes that fatal attacks of that nature are a learned hunting technique adopted by individual packs. The instincts of a wild wolf, even an aggressive one, tend to prevent the wolf as viewing humans as prey. The wolf can learn this behavior, however, if they are not dissuaded.

Causes

• In most cases, wolf packs subside entirely on native wildlife as their primary food source. However, the lack of sufficient native wildlife will force wolves to begin searching for alternative food sources. Easily accessible garbage will quickly draw in hungry packs. In most cases, when humans are attacked, it is because the wolf has lost its natural fear of the human. The more that a wolf is able to observe humans, the less it will fear. Wolves also will attack humans if they are suffering from rabies or if they are provoked -- cornered in a den, for instance.

Prevention

• One of the ways to mitigate the dangers of wolves is to keep their exposure to humans to a minimum so they retain their natural instinctive fear and weariness. Individuals living near a wolf population should keep trash and garbage locked or otherwise inaccessible, as well as prevent domestic animals from going outside. When encountered in the wild, wolves can be dissuaded from approaching if you avoid prey-like behavior, such as stumbling, turning away or fleeing. Big arm movements, loud noises and confidence can all help keep a wolf back.