It was a strange sight on Easter Monday in Eelde: in the middle of the day a wolf walked straight through a residential area. Should we get used to that now that there are more wolves in Drenthe? And what should you do when you come face to face with the animal?
Allart van der Haar had to look twice to see if he was seeing it correctly, in the middle of a residential area in Eelde. “We were driving to the store and suddenly the wolf came walking towards us on the street.”
Van der Haar and his daughter drove on. But when they turned the corner, they saw the beast again. “That’s why my daughter already had her phone at hand, and she immediately started filming. It looked as if the animal had already run through the entire village, he especially wanted to get away.”
Do we see the wolf on the street more and more often?
Whether you find it scary or interesting, the wolf will occasionally enter built-up areas, explains Professor Chris Smit of the University of Groningen (RUG). “In short: yes, that happens occasionally. This is quite common abroad, where wolves have existed for some time.”
According to Smit, this is mainly because young wolves look for new habitat. “From about the age of two, the young leave the parental pack and move away.”
The question is how bad that is. The wolf in Eelde walked quietly between the houses, while the images show a runner passing near the animal. Do people often make the situation worse? “If they are chased or followed, they can become a bit stressed. An animal like the one in the video shows some signs of flight behavior, but no aggression. The animal is clearly not comfortable in such an environment. You can see that he immediately calms down in the pasture.”
According to Smit, the animal was indeed looking for the exit, and could occasionally get lost. “But that’s a matter of leaving it alone. The wolf likes to find its own route to a good habitat.”
So do not approach the wolf, the expert emphasizes. “Chasing or chasing is very inconvenient. Tackling such an animal is the worst thing you can do. They will definitely keep walking if you don’t come near them. Enjoy it, take a photo and give it space.”
Face to face with a wolf: what now?
What should I do if I encounter a wolf? The rural Wolf reporting center explains:
- The most important thing is to stay calm and keep your distance. This also applies to other animals, such as wild boars or red deer. About 50 to 100 meters is a good guideline.
- Do you have a dog with you? Keep the dog on a leash and close by. In dog off-leash areas: call the dog immediately and put it on a (briefly) leash. Don’t chase a wolf.
- Do not feed wildlife, including feeding or baiting wolves.
- If a wolf comes too close, don’t run away. Make yourself big, make gestures or make noise to scare them off. If necessary, walk backwards slowly to gain more distance.
- Don’t chase a wolf.
A wolf mainly acts for self-protection, for example when the animal feels threatened or has to defend cubs.
The Wolf Reporting Point indicates that walking, jogging, mountain biking, horse riding, hunting, fishing, camping and other activities in the countryside are possible.
