At what distance do wolves move away from an approaching human?

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Karlsson, J., Eriksson, M., Liberg, O.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2007
• Subjects: Fid; Canis lupus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z07-099; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/Z07-099; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/Z07-099

Management of controversial animals, like large carnivores, in multi-use landscapes is highly dependent on human tolerance. Human fear of wolves ( Canis lupus L., 1758) is known to be an important variable affecting human attitudes towards wolves. Successful management of wolves thus forces managers to respond to human fear of wolves. In this study, we assess the distance at which radio-collared wolves move away from an approaching human, also called the flight initiation distance (FID), and how FID is affected by wind speed and wind direction. We used silent VHF receivers and walked at normal pace towards radio-collared wolves. When approaching the wolves, we made no attempt to hide or walk in a less noisy manner. In the 34 experimental provocations, wolves moved away when the approaching human was between 17 and 310 m away. The mean FID was 106 m. FID was negatively correlated with wind speed. One hour after having been roused by the approaching human, wolves had moved a median distance of 1.2 km.