Wolves eat babies and swallow grandmothers. Probably school have managed to tell you all of it, and the second part of fairy tales was added by Hollywood. How much truth is there in all this? See if you believe the 10 biggest myths about wolves!
10. Wolves are the biggest pests in Poland.
Not true. The State Treasury pays farmers approximately PLN 20 million annually as compensation for losses caused by all protected species. How much of that goes to wolves? About 720,000 PLN, i.e. 3.6% of this amount. Who costs more? Deer, roe deer and wild boars, approx. PLN 73 million annually.
9. We have no way to defend ourselves against wolves.
Not true. The state pays compensation for damage caused by wolves. Attacks on livestock can be prevented by installing an electric shepherd or by using trained shepherd dogs.
If you cannot afford any of them, ask the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection for support, but it has also happened that, for example, WWF financed such protections. It’s worth looking for.
8. Wolves are no longer afraid of humans.
Not true. There is no scientific, reliable data on this subject. Media reports from hunting circles or the State Forests are unreliable because they are burdened with amateur knowledge and often characterized by aversion to wolves. (see point 4)
7. We have several thousand wolves in Poland.
Not true. These are wrong estimates of hunters and the State Forests. First, herd animals should not be counted on individuals, but on families. Secondly, the State Forests count wolves like drunken fingers: you show him two and he says “four!”.
Why? The wolf family, usually 4-6 animals, occupies a huge territory, in Poland from 150 to even 500 km2. There may be, for example, three forestry departments in such an area. What does counting look like then? Forester A: today I saw four wolves, Forester B: Me too, Forester C: And I have six! Everyone can add, so we know that there are 14 wolves.
“They were the same wolves, only that they were moving around their territory, so even one day they were seen by rangers A, B and C. So in fact there were six wolves, but as a result of “drunk counting” fairy tales are created.”
6. Wolves hunt in packs.
Not true. Most often, a pair of parents hunts – a male with a female, or during the female’s “postpartum” period, only the male. Pack hunting usually happens for larger animals, e.g. bison.
5. I met a wolf on the road, he was staring at me and definitely wanted to attack.
Not true. Wolves have very poor eyesight, if he stared at you, most likely you were downwind and the wolf couldn’t tell what you were by smell. He stared at you to solve this riddle. What’s more, in the absence of scent identification, he could even try to approach because wolves are very curious by nature.
4. Wolves are not afraid of humans.
Not true. Wolves, as a result of hundreds of years of extermination and hunting, have learned that man is a deadly threat to them.
When a wolf senses a human, usually it runs away.
Unless he can’t smell who you are because you’re standing with the wind. Then see point 5
3. We have too many wolves in Poland.
Not true. Currently, we have about 300 – 400 wolf families in Poland (1500 – 2000 animals). There is no scientific evidence that this mean „too many wolves”.
2. Wolves like to hunt defenseless sheep the most.
Not true. According to data from the Central Statistical Office (2016), there are about 6 million cows in Poland, and 182,000 die every year for various reasons. these animals. How much of that do wolves kill? On average 150 cows, mainly calves.
Livestock make up to 3% of wolves’ diet.
How do we know that? From the study of wolf droppings. We can find out what they ate. And more than 95% of them are deer, roe deer and wild boar.
1. Wolves attack people.
Not true. In Poland, there has been no attack of a healthy wolf on a human at least since the end of World War II. No credible source mentions such a case. There may be attacks of sick wolves, partially tamed or fed by, for example, nature photographers.
So what about the stories of your grandma or uncle, popular in the countryside, about wolf attacks? Just as in football, anyone can be an offside specialist, so in the case of wild animals you need to have the knowledge and experience of a scientist to say something for sure.
If you want to learn more about wolves, join one of our hunts in the Białowieża Forest! We will take you into the field for practical training and answer every question about wolves. Join now!
Sources: Association for Nature “Wolf”; polishwilk.org.pl; Adam Wajrak “Wolves”.
