I have a wildlife zoo

"As for competitive aggression, it is not caused by hunger or fear, but by wolves wanting to drive rivals away from their territory or food source. In such circumstances, the attacks are generally exploratory in nature, and even if people are attacked and killed, the wolves do not consume the human.

Predatory attacks occur when wolves attack humans due to hunger, but there are many factors that contribute to such attacks. As some of the previous speakers mentioned, in the '40s and '50s, and during the '50s and '60s, when there were wolf plagues, think about what the situation might have been like?"

Visitors pondered and showed an expression of realization, "During the '40s and '50s, wasn't there a war going on?"

"In the '60s, natural disasters occurred, and many people starved to death."

Fang Ye nodded and said, "Correct, under normal circumstances, humans are not part of wolves' diets. Wolves usually eat deer and rabbits. Pups learn what their prey is by following their parents on hunts, inheriting this knowledge generation after generation.

But in eras of war and famine, when many people died and corpses were left to the wilderness, wolves might have become accustomed to scavenging human bodies, thus incorporating humans into their diet. Gradually, they began to attack humans, moving from occasional to frequent consumption, and even passing this behavior on to their offspring.

Such behaviors do not arise out of nothing; they are a consequence of extraordinary circumstances in particular times. As famines and wars ceased, so did the incidences of wolves feeding on humans.

If one looks at historical accounts of wolf plagues, they often coincided with turmoil and famine; disasters and calamities come hand in hand, so we don't need to worry about encountering man-eating wolves today.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Of course, predatory attacks by wolves, not just related to tumultuous times, are also tied to massive-scale pastoralism, land reclamation, and deforestation, which destroy their habitat and reduce their food sources.

For instance, during the great push for steel production, fuel was needed for steelmaking, and that fuel came from logging. Countless ancient trees were felled, and the miscellaneous trees on the mountains were stripped clean, felled as much as needed—the hillsides were completely bare.

The wolves' natural habitat became fragmented and diminished, the density of wild prey reduced, and there weren't enough prey to sustain large wolf packs. They were unable to hunt large game or corner smaller prey, leading to a lower hunting success rate.

The wolves could only operate independently, becoming lone wolves or forming small packs, and their behavior changed. They turned to hunting easier prey like livestock or were attracted by human waste, leading to human-wildlife conflict.

Events of wolves attacking livestock do not mean that the ecosystem is improving and that wolves are returning; it's the overgrazing leading to poor vegetation quality and food shortages for wolves that causes these incidents."

Visitors exclaimed, "So that's how it is!"

"It feels like humans are the most frightening animals on this planet."

"Director, regarding wolf attacks on livestock and human-wolf conflicts, how should we deal with wolves?"

Fang Ye thought for a moment, "Actually, for such incidents of wildlife attacking livestock, the state does have compensation policies.

Specific measures include standardizing pastoralism, establishing individual wolf monitoring, publicizing the recorded information on the animals to alert the herders to take precautions and protective measures, conducting educational campaigns so that herders know how to respond, providing financial compensation for the herders' losses, and sending veterinarians to vaccinate the livestock to reduce deaths from disease.

These methods can help alleviate herders' resentment towards wildlife.

However, implementation has its difficulties. As I know, in Tibetan areas, when a veterinarian promoted the benefits of vaccinating livestock, many herders were reluctant. They were unfamiliar with it and worried it might harm the animals, or they simply didn't care and didn't use the provided vaccines.

But after a few serious outbreaks of cattle and sheep diseases, they exerted some pressure in the government's name. After a comprehensive vaccination, the results the following year were very good. Since then, the herders recognized the benefits of vaccines and began to vaccinate proactively. Otherwise, even if the livestock died from disease, the herders would still blame the wildlife.

Then, there is the matter of determining losses caused by wildlife. How do we confirm that the livestock was killed by a certain animal, and not died of a disease? Perhaps we'd need to install infrared cameras, right, to retain video evidence, which would make damage reporting easier. Otherwise, there might be incidents where herders exaggerate their losses to receive compensation.

If herders find it troublesome or don't know how to install cameras, staff must assist them. This requires long-term effort.

Moreover, on the topic of livestock loss compensation, some rare and protected animals, such as snow leopards that kill livestock, can get compensation more easily. Wolves are only considered protected in some provinces, so it may be more difficult to obtain compensation."

The robust elder brother sighed, "Ah, the population of wolves is so low, yet they never receive the attention they need."

"After my last visit to the zoo, I became interested in wolves and watched a few videos about them. There were quite a few people in the comments calling for their slaughter, saying that wolves should all be killed. It made me laugh in anger."

At this moment, the wolves started howling again by the waterfall, prompting a tourist to laugh and say, "After hearing so much from the zookeeper, I feel less scared of wolves now."

The middle-aged man who had previously talked about wolves snatching children still seemed a little uneasy and asked, "Zookeeper, speaking of which, what should we do if we really encounter a wolf in the wild?"

Fang Ye raised an eyebrow, "Don't worry, if you do encounter one, first and foremost, keep your distance!

Maintain a distance of fifty meters from the wolf, and if it approaches you, back away—it might be that you're near their den.

It could be that the wolf is simply passing by, and you're in its way, so step aside and let the wolf go first. If you have a car, retreat to it.

Remember, never run; you definitely can't outrun a wolf. They might not have been interested in you at first, but your running could trigger their hunting instinct.

Also, don't bring dogs! It's foolish to bring dogs to places in the wilderness where wild beasts may roam. It won't protect you, but it can provoke the desire to attack in wildlife. Wolves and tigers might see dogs as competitors, enemies, or even prey, which may trigger an attack.

If a dog gets attacked, it may also lead to the person being attacked, placing them in danger instead.

Don't scream at wolves, whistle, or make any other gestures that attract them!

Standing still and keeping quiet is fine; giving wolves a simple greeting and clapping your hands to drive them away works too.

And don't think that just because wolves don't attack humans, it's okay to feed them. That is absolutely forbidden. Animals are afraid of humans because they're unfamiliar with us. If you feed wolves, they may become bolder and less afraid of humans, which can increase their aggressiveness.

The best way to coexist with wild animals is to keep your distance and not disturb their activities. It's better for everyone!"

A tourist clapped their hands as if they'd just realized something, "Oh right, I remember the macaques on Mount Emei attacking people. I thought those macaques were really annoying at the time. Was it because of feeding them?"

"That's exactly it," Fang Ye nodded, "These macaques have become fearless of humans because of tourists feeding them, leading to aggressive behavior. This is a classic example of the adverse consequences caused by incorrect interactions between humans and animals."

"Thank you, Zookeeper, for educating us so much. Although I won't be venturing into the wild or encountering wolves, haha."

"Right, why face the dangers of the wild to see animals? The zoo is better, safe and convenient."

Fang Ye said with a smile, "Alright, continue your visit then, I'll go have a look around elsewhere!"

"Okay, goodbye Zookeeper!"