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I'm still utterly amazed that they don't ever kill people... for any reason (apparently even mothers with cubs). They are certainly capable, and people have killed plenty of them. Maybe they learned early on that people with guns are much more dangerous than they appear, and they decided it was better to just avoid humans altogether. But how did they manage to communicate this to every wolf on the continent that had never seen a human? Maybe wolves are naturally very cautious and never go after a new potential prey species unless they are sure. Seems like a mystery to me.
There are many reasons for this I'm sure. The average wolf is about 80 lbs. half the size of an average person and generally doesn't attack in the company of one other wolf. Since they generally only attack a running four legged target (usually a sick or young one), they are probably somewhat intimidated by a much taller upright animal on two legs that doesn't run away.
I'm still utterly amazed that they don't ever kill people...
Quoting from the Wikipedia article I cited earlier in this thread:
Quote:
There are numerous documented accounts of wolf attacks in the Asian continent, with three Indian states reporting a large number of non-rabid attacks in recent decades. These attacks were well documented by trained biologists.[36][72] In Hazaribagh, Bihar for example, 100 children were injured and 122 killed from 1980 to 1986.[72] Russia also records numerous attacks, particularly in pre-revolutionary times and after WWII. Between 1840 and 1861, 273 non-rabid attacks resulting in the deaths of 169 children and 7 adults occurred throughout Russia,[139] while between 1944 and 1950, 22 children between the ages of 3 and 17 were killed by wolves in the Kirov Oblast (see Kirov wolf attacks).[140]North America has fewer cases of verified wolf attacks than Europe and Asia. ...However, more aggressive encounters were recorded as humans increasingly encroached on North American wolf habitat.
Much of the information in the Wiki article may have come from a past National Geographic Special on the subject of wolves.
I may have been citing something less accurate when I said there's never been a case of a human killed by a wolf in North America. It does appear to be rare though according to your wiki article. I wonder why so many more elsewhere. Perhaps more encounters and hungrier wolves?
Maybe because I'm a lifelong dog owner they just don't invoke the fear response in me the way a bear or mountain lion does. Not saying this is rational though.
As a new mexican teaching up in Alaska, I just wanted to update you all that we just had a young woman, a bush itinerate special ed teacher, who was killed by a pack of wolves at the bush village, Chignak Lake, while she was jogging with headphones on right outside the village.
They have killed wolves that they believe were theses ones. Remember, this is Alaska where they shoot wolves from helicopters.
Her death is a sad, unprecedented incident that has shocked us all.
I have had wolves walk right by me when I was backpacking in Denali National Park, where I have also seen a pack of wolves fighting two grizzlies over a caribou kill. Although a coyote ran me off the trail up an enbankment in Denali, I never had a concern about our wolves, although I have always watched them carefully & have the greatest respect. Until now. Now I have a deeper respect for wolves.
As a new mexican teaching up in Alaska, I just wanted to update you all that we just had a young woman, a bush itinerate special ed teacher, who was killed by a pack of wolves at the bush village, Chignak Lake, while she was jogging with headphones on right outside the village.
The wolves (there was also a female that decided she'd rather sleep than "talk"
to people... no one argued with her... ) were brought by the Wanagi Wolf Fund Wanagi Wolf Fund and Rescue
One of the Meetup Groups had a field trip to another rescue organization but
I was unable to go on that trip. Here's a link to the other sanctuary..
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) were brought by the Wanagi Wolf Fund
