Experts say wolf was defending pup, not attacking runner

Two wolf experts have concluded that a wolf which showed its teeth at a runner near Bunken Klitplantage in northern Jutland on Friday was defending its pup and had no intention of attacking, DR reports.

During a run, the man suddenly came face to face with the growling wolf. Video from the incident shows him shouting and gesturing in an attempt to scare it away. The wolf continued to follow him from a distance for some time.

Peter Sunde, a professor and wolf researcher at Aarhus University’s Department of Ecoscience, said the wolf had probably not noticed the runner until he came too close.

“This is a classic example of defensive behaviour. Its safety distance had been breached, but above all, it had a pup to protect,” Sunde said.

He said the wolf was marking its territory and making a kind of mock attack by running forward, showing its teeth and trying to appear dangerous.

“My clear assessment is that there was no danger. The wolf had absolutely no intention of attacking,” Sunde said. He added that wolves do not normally attack when people approach their offspring, but may stand their ground and issue a warning.

Kent Olsen, scientific director and senior researcher at the Natural History Museum of Aarhus, who leads and coordinates Denmark’s national wolf monitoring programme, reached the same conclusion.

“We see this very rarely. But that is what we are seeing in this case because the wolf was surprised. It is basically just trying to look much bigger and more dangerous than it is,” Olsen said. “It is in no way about to attack.”

The Danish Agency for Green Land Transformation and Aquatic Environment has advised the public to stay away from the area until the situation has been assessed further.

The experts said they supported the recommendation. Sunde said the wolf should be given some peace after clearly perceiving the encounter as a threat.

Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare Christian Rabjerg Madsen said the decision had been taken as a precaution.

“I think everyone who has seen the footage will agree that it is extremely uncomfortable,” he said.

The ministry will also ask foreign experts to assess the incident before deciding what should happen next. Madsen said Denmark had not previously experienced this type of encounter, in which a wolf showed its teeth to scare a person away from its pup.

Sunde said it was sensible to seek international advice because Denmark had limited experience with such incidents.

Asked whether wolves should be regulated more closely, Madsen said the species could not be regulated as a population while Denmark remained a member of the European Union because wolves were a protected species.

He said the authorities would continue to assess the situation and individual incidents to make encounters between wolves and people as safe as possible.