Grey wolves returned to Denmark in 2012 after a 200-year absence (file image) (Image: Getty)
Tourists in Denmark have been told they must be prepared to put up “maximum resistance” if attacked by a wolf on holiday. Authorities in the Nordic country have been distributing flyers detailing what tourists should do if they encounter wolves.
The advice also includes standing still and making eye contact with the predators which returned to Denmark in 2012 after a 200-year absence. By 2017, there was a confirmed wolf pack in the country, with 49 recorded on the Danish peninsula of Jutland this year. The flyers were handed out by the municipality of Varde and Visit Vesterhavet tourism body to holiday homes, campsites and tourist offices.
There are no incidents of wolves attacking people in Denmark (Image: Getty)
The leaflets, written in English, Danish and German, encourage people to remain calm and still in the presence of a wolf, hold eye contact and take a photo of the animal.
If the wolf does not go away on its own, people are encouraged to shout, clap hands and wave arms, according to The Guardian.
The government advice also urges tourists to not follow or turn their backs on an approaching wolf, encouraging holidaymakers to instead “stare directly at it” to “show dominance”.
While there have been no wolf attacks on people in Denmark, the flyer says people “must offer maximum resistance” if they are attacked.
“Hit and kick and use any blunt weapon,” it adds.
The distribution of the leaflets comes after incidents of young wolves approaching humans in the area around Oksbøl which is popular with tourists.
In May, the Danish Centre for Environment and Energy said “several incidents” of approaching wolves in the area around Oksbøl, Vejers and Blåvand suggested “at least one young wolf is exhibiting significantly reduced shyness and approach behaviour towards humans”.
It said wolves have been observed near people, dogs and summer cottages in the Oksbøl region over spring and winter.
Sandie Eis Ravn, Varde’s second deputy mayor, told The Guardian that the flyers campaign was aimed at informing tourists at the request of local businesses.
She said: “If you are visiting somewhere and you know there is a wolf in the nearby forest, to make sure you have the right code of conduct when you meet this creature.”
European grey wolves can weigh between 30 and 75 kilogrammes and can stand as high as 90 centimetres at the shoulder, according to the WWF.
Twenty-three thousand are estimated to be in Europe where they are protected by EU law.
Their status was downgraded in May last year from “strictly protected” to “protected” to help countries manage their populations.
Europe’s grey wolves are listed as ‘least concern’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Their population is believed to be growing on the continent.