Is the Fear of Wolves Justified? A Fennoscandian Perspective

“Similarly, stories of wolves attacking humans are common in Norway, and 48% of Norwegians surveyed said they were very afraid of wolves, despite the last documented wolf attack having occurred 4200 years previously (Linnell et al., 2003).”

“According to Linnell et al. (2003a), wolf management needs to be coordinated with management of the conflicts that arise.”

“Even close encounters foster the widespread and exaggerated perception (Linnell et al., 2003) that wolves are far more dangerous to humans than they are (Bjerke et al., 2001; Roskaft et al., 2007).”

“…attitude to wolves might be a problem, as generally in Europe, the level of human fear and intolerance of wolves is markedly higher in regions where wolves recover after having long been exterminated than in regions where man and wolf have been coexisting for a long time (Linnell et al., 2003).”

“Over the last decade, an average of 1–2 persons per year are injured in brown bear incidents in Sweden, while no human has been injured by wolves in Sweden for the last 200 years (Karlsson, unpublished data; Linnell et al, 2003 ; Swenson et al, 1999 ).”

“Psychological factors that have been shown to be relevant with regard to the four large carnivores are people’s perception of control of the carnivore situation (Lescureux and Linnell 2010), their relation with and trust in management authorities (Ericsson and Heberlein 2003; Linnell et al. 2003; Sjölander-Lindqvist 2…”

“In addition, it has to be acknowledged that predatory wolf attacks on humans take place even today (Jhala and Sharma 1997; Kumar 2003; Kruuk 2002; Linnell et al. 2003; McNay 2002; McNay and Mooney 2005).”

“For example, stories of wolves ( Canis lupus ) attacking humans are common in Norway, and 48% of Norwegians surveyed said they were very afraid of wolves, despite the last documented wolf attack occurring prior to 1882 (Linnell et al., 2003).”

“Deeply held cultural views and hostility towards large carnivores can lead to their localised extermination (Jones, 2002; Kruuk, 2002), even if direct attacks on humans are rare (Brain, 1981; Karanth and Madhusudan, 2002; Linnell et al., 2002; Linnell et al., 2003).”

“However, studies of documented wolf attacks on humans from other parts of the world clearly show that children are at greater risk of being attacked than human adults (Linnell et al. 2003).”

“…and wolves (Canis lupus) both have many high-visibility traits (being large-bodied and group-living with a high cultural impact) and are often cited as top conflict-causing species, even if the respondents concerned have never personally experienced attacks [Linnell et al., 2003; Dickman, 2008].”

“The probability of humans being attacked by large carnivores in Sweden is at present relatively small (Linnell et al., 2003), but in a recent survey 44% of a Swedish sample reported that they were afraid of encountering brown bears in the forest and 25% indicated that they were afraid of…”

“These studies suggest that significant barriers to wolf conservation exist in the correlated relationships between low tolerance, high risk perceptions and support for lethal control of wolves among some rural stakeholders that share spaces with wolves (Linnell et al., 2003; Lute and Gore, 2014a; Mech, 2017; Lute and…”

“Victims were considered a child if they were 12 years old or younger (Linnell et al., 2003).”

“2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC reintroduction and recolonization of wolves (Linnell et al. 2003).”

“Although the prevalence of fear does not necessarily correspond with the estimated risk of attacks by large carnivores (Linnell et al. 2003; Swenson et al. 1999), the increased number of wolves causes increased fear among the public (Ericsson et al 2013).”

“Wolf populations can be monitored closely in order to reveal and remove the ‘problematic individuals’ who specialize in hunting livestock and attacking humans (Linnell et al. 1999, 2003; Löe and Röskaft 2004).”

“They also kill domestic livestock, prey on endangered wildlife species and sometimes threaten the safety of people (Linnell et al. 2003; Sangay & Vernes 2008).”

“Such perceptions frequently reflect a society’s worldviews, for example, in the case of jaguars, on gender roles, and strongly influence our responses towards wildlife (Linnell et al., 2003; Dick-man, 2010; Frank, 2016; Estien, 2023; Wilkinson, 2023).”

“Moreover, concerns about the risk that wolves pose to human safety are gaining public attention (Linnell et al. 2003), as wolves increasingly occupy human-dominated landscapes (Kuijper et al. 2019).”

“Other studies on human-wildlife conflict also suggest that people’s antagonism towards wildlife may arise from social causes or cultural beliefs rather than actual losses caused by wildlife depredations (Linnell et al., 2003; NaughtonTreves & Treves, 2005; West, 2001).”

“This, in turn, is influ - enced by deeper social factors including sociocultural values attached to a species that are shaped by popular culture (Dickman, 2010 ) or narratives around previous negative interactions that can persist for centuries in folklore (Knight, 2013 ; Linnell et al., 2003 ).”

“It is also important to allow time for people to readjust to new information and perceptions of a historically disliked species (Linnell et al., 2003), especially when perceptions have existed in communicative memory and cultural memory for long periods (Assmann and Czaplicka, 1995).”

“At the time of the interviews, the wolf impact on humans in Finland was mainly focused on the fear of wolves (Bisi et al., 2007; Linnell et al., 2003 ), loss of dogs and livestock to wolf predation and an unwillingness to share ungulate game with wolves.”

“people seriously when developing conservation information strategies (Linnell et al., 2003).”