Near bathing lakes

Angler fled from wolf onto a piece of fitness equipment

Yet another wolf sighting in Upper Austria, this time at bathing lakes: an angler in Feldkirchen an der Donau is said to have been surprised by an Isegrim during the night and fled onto a piece of fitness equipment in the nearby motor skills park. It was the first time that a wolf had come so close to the popular bathing lakes. A behavioral biologist reassures.

"The police informed us that a fisherman saw a wolf at four o'clock in the morning and then fled onto a wooden frame in the motor skills park," reports Franz Allerstorfer, head hunter in Feldkirchen an der Donau. When asked by "Krone", the regional police confirmed that an angler had reported a wolf sighting around 70 to 80 meters away.

The frightening moment for the angler is said to have happened on Saturday night. The bathing lakes in Feldkirchen are not only a popular destination for swimmers, but also for anglers - especially in spring.

"That's never happened before," says Allerstorfer. A few years ago, a wolf had already wandered through another part of Feldkirchen, but none had ever been seen near the lakes. DNA confirmation that the animal was actually an Isegrim is not yet available. However, the incident has already been recorded as a sighting by the state's wolf management authorities.

Children filmed wolf at school
It was not the first wolf to approach humans in Upper Austria. At the secondary school in St. Georgen an der Gusen, for example, children reportedly filmed an Isegrim crossing the road on their cell phones and almost being hit by a car.

The wolf ran across the road in St. Georgen an der Gusen.(Bild: zVg)

Following the incident in Feldkirchen, hunting guide Allerstorfer appeals "to stay on the secured paths and keep dogs on a lead." However, the wolf is generally a shy creature. The recent increase in sightings could be young animals that have left their parents and are now roaming around in search of a new pack in spring.

"Making big, threatening, being unfriendly"
Behavioral biologist Kurt Kotrschal is reassuring in view of the sightings: "This is nothing out of the ordinary and it is not true that there is any danger involved," Kotrschal tells APA. If you want to scare off an Isegrim, the expert recommends: "Make yourself big, threaten, be unfriendly" - if necessary, throw a stone or branch at the animal.

You shouldn't run away, "this triggers or intensifies the wolves' interest". And: "Please don't share your snack with the wolf, don't feed the animals, as this causes them to lose their distance from humans and these animals then have to be shot."