Even though the first contacts between wolves and humans had already occurred in the early Stone Age, it was not until the Middle Ages that humans began to hate the wolf. People were going through a very hard time of cold, war, scarcity, epidemics and misery. Many died and were left unburied. The wolves were attracted by these corpses and began to scavenge them. Wolves foraged closer and closer still to inhabited areas. Writers of that time reported numerous attacks on humans, while specific evidence of humans torn by wolves is lacking.
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| Close encouter with a curious wolf |
The myth of man-eating wolves was born. The animal became hunted near extinction until the 20th century. Today its fate is in the hand of man. Wolves that survived the mass hunting are nowadays allowed to live in suitable areas, where they can roam and balance nature’s cycle of prey versus predator.
Their hunting techniques are stunning. Depending on the prey, they perform an ambush, a pursuit, or a combination of both strategies. One of the wolves distracts the prey, while the others surround the herd. An healthy adult prey, such as caribou, which defends itself with force has a good chance to escape its attackers. A moment of hesitation can be fatal to young, inexperienced or ill animals.
Wolves do not hunt like dogs with their nose close to the ground, but with their ears and nose in the wind: scents and sounds alert them even with the slightest breeze. A wolf can pick up the scent of an elk even from 300 kilometres away. With a sense of hearing about 20 times sharper than a human’s, a wolf can hear the howls of other wolves up to 16 kilometres away. In Summer the wolf often hunts alone. After the wolf observed its prey, the wolf stalks it and then suddenly leaps to its throat and kills it with only a single bite.
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| This wolf was regularly communicating with other wolves of the pack |
Wolves are also famous for their complex social behaviour and the hierarchical relationships within the pack. Daily life of the pack is dominated by the leading pair: the alpha male and alpha female. The more dominant the leading pair, the friendlier and less aggressive the relationships in the pack appear to be. Each wolf has a strong and specific personality and the qualities of each animal are used. An individual is not only a leader by age, strength and aggression. Its dominance depends on its determination, so that it strengthens the cohesion of the group. When a decision of the leader is rejected by the majority of the pack, the leader is submissive. Tasks, such as caring for nursing females and their pups, are shared by pack members.
I must say, I was eager to photograph exactly these kind of relationships and forthcoming behaviour. I didn’t get the chance to document it. One day I will.
Literature
Attenborough D (1990-91) Overleven in de natuur, Bosch & Keuning Baarn/Lannoo Tielt, p. 101, 209-210
Briggs M, Briggs P (2006) Dieren in het wild, Parragon Publishing, Bath UK, p. 124-125
Buczacki S (2005) Fauna Britannica, Hamlyn, a division of Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London UK, p. 402-404
Christiansen P – consultant editor (2006) The Encyclopedia of Animals, International Masters Publishers AB, Amber Books Ltd, London UK, p. 109
Honders J, Kuijpers N – Dutch chief editors (1992) De Siberische Taiga – Dieren in het Wild, Uitgeversmaatschappij The Reader’s Digest NV, Amsterdam, p. 7-26
