Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: How to Avoid being Attacked
• Part 2 of 3: How to Deal with an Attack
• Part 3 of 3: How to keep your camp safe
• Tips
• Warnings

Wolves are powerful and dangerous predators. Usually they do not attack people, but it is worth knowing how to behave in the territory where wolves are found. If you run into a wolf, don't run away. Do not look away, try to appear larger (do not cower or bend down to the ground), make loud intimidating noises and, as soon as possible, go to a safe place.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: How to Avoid being Attacked

1. 1 Try not to go where wolves have been seen before. Try to remain inconspicuous. If you spot a wolf before it spots you, walk away quietly. Be on the lookout. Sometimes wolves roam alone, but they usually hunt in packs.
2. 2 If the wolf sees you, back away slowly. Never look away or turn your back to the wolf. If you are trying to leave, do it facing the animal. If the wolves are behind you, their predatory instincts can work. Step back slowly, facing the pack.
3. 3 Don't run away. Wolves run faster than you, especially when moving through the forest. In addition, at the sight of running prey, the wolf's hunting instinct will work. Even if the wolves did not chase you initially, they will most likely do so if you run.

Part 2 of 3: How to Deal with an Attack

1. 1 If a wolf approaches you, make as loud noise as possible and act aggressively. Take a step towards the wolf, start making noise, shouting, claping your hands. Back away slowly. Continue to simulate aggression and make noise. Do not take your eyes off the wolf or turn your back to it.
   • Engage in combat only if this is the only remaining exit. Wolves are strong and intelligent animals that nature has endowed with powerful jaws and an instinct to kill. You may be able to cope with a lone wolf, but not with a whole pack.
   • Breathe deeply and try to stay calm. Wolves sense human fear. If you panic, you risk freezing in place or fleeing and unable to fight to save your life.
2. 2 Reflect the attack. If the wolf attacked, fight back with sticks, stones, use pepper spray or any weapon that is at hand. Find a position that is easier to defend: stand with your back to a tree or a large rock. Don't let the wolf be behind you.
   • Do not try to "hide out of the blue" or shrink into a fetal position. It won't save your life. The attacking wolf, as a rule, can change his mind and leave only if he sees you as a large and dangerous enemy.
3. 3 Stay alert. If you managed to drive the wolf away, quietly and quickly head to the nearest shelter. Climb a tree, tall boulder, or other tall object. If possible, take shelter in a nearby building or in a car.
   • Don't relax ahead of time. The wolf can sneak up on you or your camp, waiting for the right moment. If he is very hungry, he may attack again.
4. 4 Stick together. If there are several of you in the group and you are attacked by wolves, children and injured people should stay in the center of the group. When wolves attack a herd, they target the weakest prey: young, old and sick. Whatever happens, keep everyone close and do not scatter. Let someone follow every direction: you must not allow the wolves to bypass you and attack unexpectedly.
   • Wolves always target the weakest prey in a group, and you are the prey for them. Therefore, children are at greatest risk as the smallest and weakest. When wolves attack people, children are most often their victims.
   • For example, here's how arctic wolves hunt musk oxen. They watch the herd from afar, waiting to attack when one of the adult musk oxen is distracted. Then they penetrate into the center of the herd to reach weaker animals.
5. 5 Keep your eyes on your dog. If you have a dog with you and you find yourself in an area where wolves meet, never lose sight of it. Clean up excrement after her, forbid her to voice and try to make sure that she does not mark the territory. All this can attract wolves, for whom you and your dog are intruders. Both wolves and dogs urinate to mark territory as their own (and also leave scratches and roll on the ground to leave their scent), so a wolf can attack a dog if it senses that it has encroached on its territory.

Part 3 of 3: How to keep your camp safe

1. 1 Make a fire. If wolves are roaming around your camp, light a smoky fire to keep them at bay. Toss green leaves and raw wood on the fire to make it smoke as hard as possible. Move some of the embers under the tree or spread them between several trees. Dip the branches in resin and burn them. Try to blow the smoke towards the wolves.
   • Wolves do not like fire and smoke, as they feel danger from them. When little wolf cubs are nearby (which is very likely in spring), fire can even force adult wolves to look for a new den if the female feels threatened by her offspring.
2. 2 Make a safe haven. Use branches, stones, sharp sticks, and other sturdy objects to build a fence around your camp. If it is reliable enough, wolves will not get inside, but remember that they can still hear you and smell you.
3. 3 Try to make as much noise as possible. Wolves howl to claim territory, so they can perceive the noise as a signal that the territory is occupied. If there are more than one of you, sing and shout in chorus. Make noise as loud and aggressive as possible.
   • Don't try to imitate a wolf howl. It can attract a wolf. Lone wolves howl to find out where other members of the pack are, and there have been cases where wolves have resorted to in response to a howl made by humans.

Tips

• A lone wolf is unlikely to attack from the front, especially at a tall person.Try to appear even bigger: spread your arms, slap the floors of your jacket, hold large objects in your hands. Wolves are naturally afraid of people.
• If the wolves attack, don't run! Wolves have an instinct to chase fleeing prey.
• When going to where wolves are found, try to find out about their behavior in advance. The more you know about wolves, the better your chances of survival.
• Wolves protect their offspring, and they will definitely not be happy if someone touches their cubs (and may even abandon them after contact with a person). If you see a wolf cub, stay away!
• Don't think that a wolf is like a big dog. The jaws of the wolf are much more powerful than the canines!
• If you saw a wolf near human habitation in winter or spring, it will probably turn out to be a young animal that, until recently, did not leave the pack and does not know anything about people. In this case, you can naturally spark his curiosity. However, it is best to scare the wolf to stay away from people.
• Do not take your eyes off the wolf, but NEVER look directly in the eyes! This will cause even more aggression.
• Don't go hiking alone. A group of people are more likely to deal with a wolf.
• Wolves, like many other predators, are careful and do not risk themselves for food. If the wolf sees that you are too dangerous a prey, he will most likely retreat.
• If you come across a sleeping wolf, move away slowly and silently. Never go near a wolf - it may lash out. Remember that this is a wild animal whose actions are unpredictable!

Warnings

• If you have been bitten by a wolf, then you definitely need to go to the hospital. You will not only need to treat the wound, but also get a prophylactic rabies vaccine.
• Don't try to run away from the wolf or pack. Stand in a close group, hide the children in the middle. Throw stones at the wolves, make loud noise, behave in a threatening manner. When wolves hunt, in one case out of five they have to leave with nothing if the prey is firmly on the defensive.
• Never leave children alone while hiking and camping if there are wolves in the area. Children are especially vulnerable due to their small stature and lack of strength. In addition, they are not always able to recognize danger.
• They say that the strength of the pack is in the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is in the pack. If you encounter a pack of wolves, you may be outnumbered and it will be more difficult for you to chase away predators (especially if the pack is very large). Usually wolves hunt in groups of no more than six individuals, but in some cases there may be up to thirty of them.
• Don't feed the wolves. If you feed the wolves, they will get used to people and will cease to be afraid of them. A fed wolf is more likely to attack a person in the future, since it will not feel fear.