We received an email from a reader:

A few days ago, I wrote to you about a wolf attack on sheep. Today, I read about an attack on fallow deer.

The woman added:

I would also like to inform you that a few days ago, a chained dog was mauled and eaten in Wykroty [...]. Unfortunately, the owner did not report the incident to any institutions.

Similar cases have already occurred in our county. In May last year, we published some information about why wolves attack dogs and whom such incidents should be reported to. Dr Sabina Nowak wrote at the time on the website of Stowarzyszenia dla Natury „Wilk”:

Dogs are domesticated wolves. These two species can interbreed, proving that despite the long process of domestication, they differ little genetically. Wolves probably believe that dogs are still wolves. They have no idea that a dog has an owner who feeds and keeps it, and often feels great affection for it. They treat dogs as competitors for territory and food. If dogs are allowed to roam freely, they regularly visit nearby forests and leave feces and urine there, especially on wolf droppings and markings. They also eat scraps from wolves’ kills. We often see this in footage from our camera traps. For a local wolf family group, this clearly amounts to marking their territory and attempting to take it over by an outsider, as well as posing a threat to their offspring. It is somewhat like a stranger entering our home, scattering their belongings around, eating food from the fridge and making themselves at home while we are away, then disappearing.

A wolf breeding pair protecting their offspring and food resources can very easily follow a scent trail to the property where such a dog lives. It can also easily identify the dog when encountering it in the field. That is why cases of local wolves killing dogs in the forest, in fields, and even on a property or beside a kennel are not uncommon.

A wolf killing a dog is not an act of blind aggression, but rather the protection of its own resources. For this reason, wolves do not pose a threat to people, because to a wolf, a human is not a competitor in the environment.

Cases of dogs acting aggressively toward other dogs, as well as dogs attacking livestock, are frequently observed. Unfortunately, in such situations, wolves are most often blamed for a dog’s death or the killing of livestock. It is not true that only homeless or stray dogs pose a threat, because animals with owners may also be responsible for such incidents. Dogs living next door to one another may have such strong antagonisms that they kill each other. This is also indicated by genetic tests of saliva collected from the wounds of bitten or dead dogs.

Moreover, in the natural environment—and now even near buildings—dogs can be killed by wild boars, including sows defending their offspring. They can bite severely and even kill a dog when they or their offspring are threatened.

I do not believe that wolves killing dogs pose a threat to people, so there is probably no need to raise the alarm and cause panic in areas where such incidents occur. However, all dog owners should know that Polish law prohibits letting dogs roam freely in forests. Dogs, even beloved lapdogs, can be highly effective killers of forest animals, roe deer, and even deer calves. Scientific research proves this. It should also be remembered that letting a dog roam freely in the forest exposes it to danger from the wild animals living there.

What should you do if a wolf kills your dog?

As Gmina Bolesławiec reported last year:

[…] The State Treasury is liable for damage caused by animals protected by species conservation laws, including wolves.

  1. The resulting damage must be reported without delay to the Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Wrocław, who inspects and assesses the damage and determines the amount and payment of compensation.
  2. The injured party must prove that the damage was caused by wolves. In addition, several rules should be remembered:
    • the mauled animal must not be removed before the inspectors arrive
    • all traces of the incident must be secured
    • as far as possible, photographic documentation should be made of the mauled animal and other traces within the incident site (tracks, marks showing that victims were dragged, feces), as well as of the incident site itself and the security measures used, such as fencing.

    The damage should also be reported to a veterinarian, who can determine the cause of death of the affected animal, prepare a description of the condition of the remains and identify other valuable information facilitating the proper consideration of the compensation application, as well as to representatives of hunting associations and the forest district, who may search the site for predator tracks or other characteristic signs of their presence and inspect the remains.
  3. Compensation is not available if the damage caused by wolves occurred between sunset and sunrise while the animals were left without direct supervision. In disputed cases concerning the amount of compensation for damage caused, among others, by wolves, ordinary courts have jurisdiction
  4. The injured party should submit an application for compensation together with the necessary attachments listed in the application. Compensation covers the market price of the killed animal, the costs of disposing of the carcass and transporting it to the nearest carcass-disposal company, the cost of a veterinarian’s visit to confirm the animal’s death, and treatment costs, based on the submitted bills.