The loss of livestock has been one of the main reasons for the disappearance of wolf packs, not only in Europe, but throughout the world, a process that began deep in the Middle Ages, when in some countries their killing was legally established, and then intensified in the 70s, where in many countries this animal disappeared completely. Among the countries that have suffered the greatest losses in this regard are Italy, Greece, Spain, France and Croatia.
The number of wolves in Europe is increasing. According to the latest statistics, their number is estimated to have increased by about 60% over the last decade, going from 12 thousand to 22 thousand individuals. The countries that have more than 1 thousand are Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Spain and Romania. The study was carried out in 34 countries on our continent and was published in the scientific journal Plos Transformation by an international research group, in collaboration with several universities. The population of this animal has registered an increase in 19 of the 34 countries, while it remains stable in 8 countries, including Albania, Croatia, Norway, Portugal, Luxembourg and Romania. Meanwhile, in other neighboring countries in the Balkans, their number continues to decrease, specifically in North Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to the data collected, it is estimated that in Europe wolves kill around 56 thousand domestic animals per year, out of a total of 279 million head of livestock. Although this phenomenon varies from country to country, as a result of many factors, on average, animals that guard livestock are at risk of being killed by wolves by about 0.02%. And compensation for livestock farmers for these losses costs European countries around 17 million euros each year. The loss of livestock has been one of the main reasons for the disappearance of wolf packs, not only in Europe, but throughout the world, a process that began deep in the Middle Ages, when in some countries their killing was legally established, and then intensified in the 70s, where in many countries this animal disappeared completely.
Among the countries that have the greatest losses in this regard are Italy, Greece, Spain, France and Croatia, this is probably due to different breeding practices, but also compensation systems. While in terms of attacks on humans, they are extremely rare in Europe, and the most frequently reported cases come from Italy and Greece. Another phenomenon that is observed and stands out is the mating of wolves with dogs, which constitutes a threat to the conservation of the species in the chain of life and the increase of hybrid animals.
The study highlights how wolves can also have a positive economic impact, albeit relatively small. In some countries, statistics show a reduction in road accidents in rural areas, or even a slight reduction in damage to forest plantations, through the control they exert over populations of other animals such as wild deer. However, the data is not sufficient to reach clear conclusions for all European countries. The howl of the wolf, beyond myths and legends, serves the animal to gather the family pack, to transmit a danger or to communicate something over great distances, since the howls can be felt up to 130 km² away.
In world literature, this hunter occupies a special position, as fairy tales have labeled it as a dangerous animal, often symbolizing greed, destruction or even witchcraft, especially in the Middle Ages, embedding in the human imagination the connection with the Full Moon and its ravenousness. The first written trace in ancient texts where the wolf is mentioned is the Babylonian epic poem Gilgamesh, where the goddess Ishtar turned all the men she had slept with into wolves.