If you saw a Wolf trapped between a wired fence, would you free it?

[Salandrin]

Would you do it? Or let it die because of a reason you keep to yourself?

[Deleted]

I would call the police and alert the media. Wolf sighthings is BIG news in Denmark!!!11!1!!!!

[Deleted]

There is no reason to help a potentially deadly predator that could kill me.

[Baracuda]

In theory, yes. In reality I'd probably call some animal protection to help do it.

[Rampant Rabbit]

What is it with you and all these strange discussions?

And yes, I would free it. I'd probably call some sort of instance that can help me to do this safely. There's no reason not to do this. It'll simply get rescued, and released at a desolate spot where the least amount of humans are to be found so that it can go on living its life.

[Deleted]

If i'd be safe in releasing it, yes.

Otherwise i'd kill it to spare the pain if there wasn't another way...

[Deleted]

No. I have a phobia of dogs (and what follows naturally, wolves), so if I saw one, trapped or not, I'd be running for my life.
For dogs, I've learnt to hold my shit together so I don't have a panic attack every time I see one. But wolves, damn, f* those things.

[Deleted]

I would try to free him from the other side of the fence. He would be pretty scared and panicked and being a wild animal, not a good idea to stay close.

[Super Kami Dende]

Yes, I would.

Mostly since there has never been a documented case of Wolves attacking humans, that and Wolves are one of my favourite creatures.

[God8010]

I had this story except it was a bear. All animals including humans know when hope is gone. Thing never even moved at me, though I can turn any animal into my friend. 16 years on a farm does that to you. This thread makes me miss Vermont.

[Jackmoves]

Getting that close to a wild wolf that will be under extreme stress is dangerous. It's not a chihuahua we are talking about.

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Yes, I would.

Mostly since there has never been a documented case of Wolves attacking humans, that and Wolves are one of my favourite creatures.

Yeah, just this last year a zoo keeper got killed here by wolfs, so not sure where you got that from.

The head of Kolmården Wildlife Park says it is still unclear why a pack of wolves attacked and killed a zoo keeper at the park just an hour after opening on Sunday.

Mats Höggren told a press conference late on Sunday afternoon that the 30-year-old keeper broke no rules by being alone when she went into the wolf pen this morning. Security procedures at the park will now be reviewed.

Mats Höggren said that his colleagues thought something was wrong when the woman broke radio contact when she was in the pen. News Agency TT reports that there are eight wolves in the pack and it is not known which one made the first attack.

"The wolves are usually not aggressive, but we have had several small incidents with play which has gone overboard," Höggren says.

There are around 150 people employed at Kolmården which is Sweden's largest wildlife park. A crisis centre has been opened for staff at the park.

Jan Tengeborg, head of emergency services in Östergötland told reporters that it was difficult to get into the pen to reach the injured woman.

"We could not go in to reach the person who was injured, on the one hand because of the wolves who were around the body but also because of the number of shocked people there," Jan Tengeborg said.

"We had to take care of those who were shocked and had seen the attack."

Jonas Wahlström, animal expert at Skansen open air museum and animal park in Stockholm told Expressen newspaper that it is almost unheard of for a wolf to kill a human.

"The last time a wolf killed someone in Sweden was at the beginning of the 1800's. That happened in a similar place, a protected area in an animal park...I would never believe this could happen."

He said that he had visited the protected area at Kolmården where the public can come in close contact with the wolves.

"I myself have been there several times. They have been as playfull as alsation dogs," he says.

Another wolf expert gave his view to the media following the tragic accident.

"It is unusual for such a thing to happen, but it has happened before. The animals at the park are not scared of humans and accidents can happen, " says Olof Liberg, wolf expert at Sweden's agricultural sciences university to news agency TT.

He has not examined the case but says that accidents often occur when routine guidelines are broken and it is always dangerous when a staff member goes in alone. The dangers can also be forgotten on the grounds of the wolves charm.

None of the wolves have been put down.

" A problem with wolves is that people are so fond of them," says Liberg.

[Barnabas]

No need for the wolf to suffer because of some dumb prejudice. So of course you'd free it.

[7seti]

Wolves really aren't as dangerous as most people think. Of course it's a bad idea to get within biting range of any trapped animal, but it's not going to turn around and attack you when running away is an option.

[blackeagle]

Getting that close to a wild wolf that will be under extreme stress is dangerous. It's not a chihuahua we are talking about.

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Yeah, just this last year a zoo keeper got killed here by wolfs, so not sure where you got that from.

Well, from the very same text you linked it says that this is extremely uncommon to the degree where the last known attack before this one at Kolmården was about 200 years ago. That is very close to "never". It's the same thing the people at Skansen told us on my vacation in 2011, no known wolf on human attacks except that single one in the park two centuries ago.

So I would also assume that in the wild there is even less chance since animals in captivity behave differently from wild ones that haven't been around humans and don't count them as flock members.

To get back to the main question...
In this particular case, the animal would be trapped, and therefore could be very aggressive if it thinks it has to fight for it's life, so I would also think twice before doing it myself, unless i had proper gloves and thick clothes/boots for protection.

[Jackmoves]

Well, from the very same text you linked it says that this is extremely uncommon to the degree where the last known attack before this one at Kolmården was about 200 years ago. That is very close to "never". It's the same thing the people at Skansen told us on my vacation in 2011, no known wolf on human attacks except that single one in the park two centuries ago.

So I would also assume that in the wild there is even less chance since animals in captivity behave differently from wild ones that haven't been around humans and don't count them as flock members.

To get back to the main question...
In this particular case, the animal would be trapped, and therefore could be very aggressive if it thinks it has to fight for it's life, so I would also think twice before doing it myself, unless i had proper gloves and thick clothes/boots for protection.

I can read. The guy sounded sure that there has been no recorded incidents of wolf on man attacks though, which is wrong. Thats all.
I did not write that wolves will attack humans on a regular basis or that it's common.

Approaching any animal that is in serious distress is a risk though and a wolf is certainly an animal that can pose a real danger to humans in a worst case scenario. Better leave it to professionals.

[Deleted]

Well, from the very same text you linked it says that this is extremely uncommon to the degree where the last known attack before this one at Kolmården was about 200 years ago. That is very close to "never". It's the same thing the people at Skansen told us on my vacation in 2011, no known wolf on human attacks except that single one in the park two centuries ago.

I assume that only holds true for Sweden?

[Rob D]

So I would also assume that in the wild there is even less chance since animals in captivity behave differently from wild ones that haven't been around humans and don't count them as pack members.

Corrected that for you. Birds fly in flocks, wolves run in packs.

If I could rescue the wolf safely, I would do it. Otherwise I would call the ASPCA. I love wolves and dogs (which are the same species).

[God8010]

First off, a wolfs a pack hunter. You finding one trapped is already going against everything it likes. Second, it's only going to bite your leg or hand or whatever if you're either causing needless pain or not approaching the animal correctly. Wild or not, you can disable a head or a jaw. It's not superwolf just because its wild. It's forever bound by the mechanics of its body.

This fear of wild animals I always felt steamed from dumb kids who find something like this, think it's "cool" and poke the poor thing until someone gets hurt. Run home and feed some lie to even dumber and lazy parents about the big evil wolf and create these fears and lies.

[Deleted]

Well if i saw a wolf in england i'd probably contact the police and the nearest Zoo consider it probably escaped

[Fullmetal89]

Yes, I would.

Mostly since there has never been a documented case of Wolves attacking humans, that and Wolves are one of my favourite creatures.

Where the hell did you get this? People use to get killed all the time in the frontier by packs of wolves. Look I love wolves too they are my favorite animal but that comment is absolutely ridiculous.