The wolf is back in Denmark – two centuries after extermination.

Wolves are again a part of Danish Nature and Wildlife.

There had been no sightings of wolves in the country the past two centuries until a male was found dead in a national park in Northwestern Jutland in 2012. Since then single wolves have been spotted wandering in Jutland, Denmark’s peninsula bordering Germany.

The gray wolf originally was found throughout the northern hemisphere in every habitat where large ungulates were found. From mid-Mexico and India to the North Pole, the wolf roamed areas as diverse as Israel and Greenland. As human settlements encroached on wolf habitat, encounters with wolves increased, especially with livestock. Firearms, poisons and traps were developed and used ruthlessly against wolves. In Denmark the last wolf was shot in 1813.

The Danes and the Wolf
So far, a majority in the Danish population seem to welcome the wolf.
Some people, especially in the areas where the wolves have been seen, say they are afraid that the wolf will approach their houses and snatch their children.

Recent sightings of wolves in Jutland have Danish farmers worried about the safety of their livestock. However, domestics dogs seem to be a bigger problem when it comes to attack on sheeps.
Since 1974, Europe has not experienced a single prepatory wolf attack on humans.

Sources: rewildingeurope.com, netnatur.dk, revitalizationnews.com, The fear of wolves: A review of wolf attacks on humans.