Human-Habituated Wolves in Idaho
We have reported on the dangers of human-habituated wolves in numerous posts. A sampling:
* Predicting Predator Attacks on Humans by Dr. Valerius Geist [here]
* Yellowstone Staff Remove Human-Habituated Gray Wolf [here]
* The Hailey Wolf Rally [here]
* Report the Truth About Wolves for a Change by Laura Schneberger [here]
* Undue Burden: The real cost of living with wolves [here]
* Wolves Are Targeting Humans As Prey by Dr. Valerius Geist [here]
* Three Wolf Stories [here]
Human-habituated wolves are those which have lost their fear of humans. It is a common phenomenon, in this country and in Europe and Asia. As reported in Wolves in Russia: Anxiety Through the Ages by Will N. Graves [here], wolf behavior follows a general habituation-exploration model. The progressive circumstances are:
(a) Severe depletion of natural prey.
(b) Followed by wolves searching for alternative food sources among human habitations.
(c) The brazen behavior of wolves increases due to the wolves being undeterred by and habituated to inefficiently armed humans (or ineffectual use of weapons or outright protection of wolves).
(d) Wolves shift to preying on pets and livestock, especially on dogs.
(e) Wolves stalk and kill livestock.
(f) Wolves commence deliberate, drawn-out exploration of humans on foot or on horseback.
(g) Followed by wolves confronting humans.
(h) Wolves attack humans.
Now human-habituated wolves have been observed in Stage (f) near Kamiah, Idaho. The following story is behind a paywall, so we cannot provide a link, but the introduction is:
Wolves reported near Kamiah bus stop
By Eric Barker, Lewiston Tribune, January 15th, 2010
A man who lives near Kamiah reported seeing three wolves near his children’s bus stop recently.
Mike Popp, a hunting outfitter who lives on Glenwood Road east of Kamiah, said he is worried the wolves are becoming too habituated to people and running out of a natural prey base. Seeing a wolf is not unusual for him or his family. Popp guides hunters and frequently runs across the animals. He has also had them on or near his property on a regular basis and has long worried about the effects on elk and moose. But seeing them near the bus stop was different.
“We see wolves. Wolves kill our dogs, they chase our horses,” Popp said. “It’s just a given in the last five years but I think gosh darn it when they walk up to the bus stop like that … the kids is what worries me.”
Popp took his children to their bus stop Monday morning and sat in his jeep while his 6- and 8-year-olds had a snowball fight. The bus pulled up, stopped and flashed its lights. The kids got on and the bus driver pulled into a driveway to turn around. When the driver backed up, the bus emitted warning beeps. After it pulled away, three wolves came out of the woods and walked down the road toward Popp.
He started his jeep and drove toward the animals. They left the road and Popp followed their tracks to see where they had come from. He said it was clear they were sitting in the woods about 30 feet away from the road prior to the arrival of the bus.
“While we were there at the bus stop and those kids were snowball-fighting I know they could hear, and they just sat there,” he said. “They are really becoming habituated to all the sights and sounds that are out there.” …
Major tragedies are brewing in Idaho, in addition to the decimation of elk herds and the increasing loss of livestock to wolves. Now they are stalking children.
The outcome is predictable if nothing is done to eliminate the human-habituated packs.
Idaho officials, including those who manage the Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game, need to undertake full predator control measures now, before tragedy strikes. There is no excuse for any delay. If there is any procrastination, and a child is attacked by known human-habituated wolves, the entire IDFG should be swept clean of all current employees and reconstituted with people who are cognizant of the dangers. Should it come to that, civil suits and criminal prosecutions of the dilatory officials will be as swift and brutal as a wolf attack.
Val,
Thank you for the additional info and proper citation. And thank you for your continued effort to educate people about wolf behaviors.
I know you have given scientific testimony at some gruesome inquests — interacting with grieving families — and that your desire to avert similar tragedies is profoundly humanitarian.
We all owe you an enormous debt of gratitude for your teachings and moral example.
by W.I.S.E.: Human-Habituated Wolves In Idaho : Black Bear Blog
[...] Western Institute for Study of the Environment posted more of this same information yesterday, along with real life accounts in Idaho of the [...]
If wolves are in the “testing, threatening stage” in regard to humans, then it is the responsibility of the local wildlife officials to remove those wolves. The people must be warned by circulated documents informing the public that when wolves are threatening and testing humans, the wolves have lost most or much of their “natural” fear of humans.
If the officials do not try to remove the wolves, in my opinion they are grossly negligent of their duties. Officials must be held accountable for their actions, or lack of action.
by W.I.S.E.: Human-Habituated Wolves In Idaho : Idaho Hunting Today
[...] Western Institute for Study of the Environment posted more of this same information yesterday, along with real life accounts in Idaho of the [...]
Mike,
What Barker describes:
This is absolutely classic! Wolves targeting people sit and watch people. Unlike dogs, wolves and coyotes are refined observation learners.
The a) to h) steps you posted above are my addition to Will’s book (Appendix B., my authorship was left out by oversight) — the original paper given in 2005 is now in press, belatedly. A very similar progression was reported in 1999 for urban coyotes targeting children in urban parks by Bob Timm and Rex Baker. Over 200 attacks on children are reported. We are currently co-authoring a paper on this. So, wolves and coyotes target people in an identical manner!
Best regards, Val Geist