Overview

• The peer‑reviewed research, published October 2 in Current Biology and led by Liana Zanette of Western University, examined wolf behavior using field experiments in Poland and global datasets.
• Hidden camera‑speaker tests in the Tucheler Heide showed wolves fled to human voices more than twice as often and departed roughly twice as fast as they did after benign natural sounds.
• In the study area, wolves were nearly five times more nocturnal than people, aligning with worldwide data that show heightened night activity wherever wolves live near humans.
• The authors note humans kill large predators at about nine times their natural mortality rate, a pattern biologists describe by calling humans a super‑predator.
• Legal protection does not guarantee safety from human killing, with some EU countries allowing removals, and the researchers recommend cutting access to waste and securing livestock because wolves near settlements are typically seeking food rather than showing boldness.