A
wolf attack is an attack on a human by a
wolf
or wolves. Wild wolves are naturally aggressive but are generally
cautious enough to occasionally appear timid around humans. Wolves
usually try to avoid contact with people, to the point of even
abandoning their kills when an approaching human is detected, but there
are several reported circumstances in which wolves have been recorded to
act aggressively toward humans.
Compared to other carnivorous mammals known to attack humans in
general, the frequency with which wolves have been recorded to kill or
prey on people
is much lower, indicating that though potentially dangerous, wolves are
among the least threatening for their size and predatory potential.
[1]
Causes and types
Attacks due to provocation have occurred, usually involving shepherds defending their flocks, though none recorded fatalities.
[1]
Unprovoked attacks by non-rabid wolves are rare, but have happened. The
majority of victims of unprovoked healthy wolves tend to be women and
children.
[1]
Historically, attacks by healthy wolves tended to be clustered in space
and time, indicating that human-killing was not a normal behavior for
the average wolf, but rather atypical behavior that single wolves or
particular packs developed and maintained until they were killed.
[2]
Habituation
is a known factor contributing to some wolf attacks which result from
living close to human habitations, which can cause wolves to lose their
fear of humans and consequently approach too closely, much like urban
coyotes. Habituation can also happen when people intentionally encourage
wolves to come up to them, usually by offering food, or
unintentionally, when people do not sufficiently intimidate them.
[1]
This is corroborated by accounts demonstrating that wolves in protected
areas are more likely to show boldness toward humans, than ones in
areas where they are actively hunted.
[3]
Hybridization among wolves and domestic dogs is thought to result in
animals which though possessing the predatory instincts of wolves, show a
dog-like lack of timidity toward humans.
[1]
The majority of fatal wolf attacks have historically involved
rabies,
which was first recorded in wolves in the 13th century. Though wolves
are not reservoirs for the disease, they can catch it from other
species. Wolves develop an exceptionally severe aggressive state when
infected and can bite numerous people in a single attack. Before a
vaccine was developed, bites were almost always fatal. Today, wolf bites
can be treated, but the severity of rabid wolf attacks can sometimes
result in outright death, or a bite near the head will make the disease
act too fast for the treatment to take effect. Unlike healthy wolves,
which typically limit themselves to attacking women or children, attacks
by rabid wolves are made at random, with adult men being killed on
occasion. Rabid attacks tend to cluster in winter and spring. With the
reduction of rabies in Europe and North America, few rabid wolf attacks
have been recorded, though some still occur annually in the Middle East.
[1]
Rabid attacks can be distinguished from predatory attacks by the fact
that rabid wolves limit themselves to biting their victims rather than
consuming them. Plus, the timespan of predatory attacks can sometimes
last for months or years, as opposed to rabid attacks, which usually end
after a fortnight.
[1][2] Much like some
big cats,
[4] old or crippled wolves unable to tackle their normal prey have also been recorded to attack humans.
[5]
Patterns and methods
A recent
Fennoscandian
study on historic wolf attacks occurring in the 18th–19th centuries
showed that victims were almost entirely children under the age of 12,
with 85% of the attacks occurring when no adults were present. In the
few cases in which an adult was killed, it was almost always a woman. In
nearly all cases, only a single victim was injured in each attack,
although the victim was with two or three other people in a few cases.
This contrasts dramatically with the pattern seen in attacks by rabid
wolves, where up to 40 people can be bitten in the same attack. Some
recorded attacks occurred over a period of months or even years, making
the likelihood of rabies infected perpetrators unlikely, considering
that death usually occurs within two to ten days after the initial
symptoms. Records from the former Soviet Union show that the largest
number of attacks on children occurred in summer during July and August,
the period when female wolves begin feeding their cubs solid food.
Sharp falls in the frequency of attacks were noted in the Autumn months
of September and October, coinciding with drops in temperature which
caused most children to remain indoors for longer periods.
[5]
People who corner or attack wolves typically receive quick bites to
the hands or feet, though the attack is usually not pressed. In both
rabid and predatory attacks, victims are usually attacked around the
head and neck in a sustained manner,
[1] though healthy wolves rarely attack frontally, having been shown to prefer to attack from behind.
[5] Some specialized
man-eaters have been recorded to kill children by knocking them over from behind and biting the back of their heads and necks.
[6] The body of a victim from a healthy wolf attack, is often dragged off and consumed unless disturbed.
[1]
Dawn Hepp shows off the wounds on her neck. (Courtesy Dawn 
