Two dogs, believed to have been killed by wolves, may have fallen victim to a confrontation with territorial wolves.
This is according to Professor and wolf researcher Peter Sunde from the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University.
»Wolves are territorial and will defend their territories. If they encounter a dog in their territory, the wolves will signal: »Get lost«.«
»But if the dog does not understand that signal, it risks being attacked and, in the worst case, killed,« says Peter Sunde.
The two dogs were found dead, one south of Ikast and the other south of Ulfborg. Both areas are well-known wolf territories.
In both cases, according to the Agency for Green Space and Aquatic Environment, the dogs had been let out at night and were free to roam.
The agency believes the encounters between the dogs and wolves were random.
May Have Misinterpreted Wolf Signals
The problem, according to Peter Sunde, is that dogs do not always understand wolf signals.
»Dogs exhibit behavior that is often very puppy-like. They can misinterpret wolf signals.«
»So even though the wolf signals that the dog should get lost, the dog does not perceive it as such and may think the wolf wants to play,« says Peter Sunde.
According to the professor, it will usually end fatally for dogs that clash with wolves.
In neighboring countries like Sweden and Norway, there are also cases every year of dogs dying after fights with wolves.
The best advice from the professor is, therefore, that dog owners in wolf areas should always keep their dogs under supervision, especially at night.
»You should avoid letting dogs roam freely, particularly from sunset to sunrise,« says Peter Sunde.
The owners of the killed dogs will receive compensation, according to the agency.
Wants to strengthen communication to dog owners
Should we expect to see more dogs killed by wolves as the number of wolves increases?
»It depends on the behavior of dog owners. I am somewhat surprised that it seems to be a common practice to let dogs roam freely.«
»If you do that, you are taking a risk,« says Peter Sunde.
The Agency for Green Space and Aquatic Environment states that it will »strengthen communication on how to protect your dogs in areas with wolves.«
Minister for Green Tri-Partite Cooperation Jeppe Bruus (Socialdemokraterne, S), who is the responsible minister for the wolf area in Denmark, believes that wolves »fundamentally create insecurity« but that a »balance« must be found so that wolves and humans can coexist.
The minister made this statement during a debate on wolves in Folketingets parliamentary chamber on Wednesday. The inquiry debate, initiated by Dansk Folkeparti (DF), was scheduled before the news broke that two dead dogs were believed to be killed by wolves. The specific case was not discussed.
Bruus (S) noted that the future of wolves in Denmark depends on »whether the wolf is here to stay or migrates on its own.«
»I understand that some believe we should shoot all wolves. Even if I, as minister, held that viewpoint, I would not be able to act on it, at least not if I am to be responsible for my role and the legislation I am subject to,« says Bruus.
ritzau
