Wolves of Turku
Encyclopedia
The Wolves of Turku were a trio of man-eating
wolves which between 1880–81, killed 22 children in Turku
, Finland
. The average age
of the victims of these wolves was 5.9 years. Their depredations caused such concern that the local and national government became involved, calling help from Russian and Lithuanian hunters, as well as the army. The wolves killed their last victim on November 18, 1881. On January 12, 1882, an old female wolf was shot and twelve days later, an adult male was poisoned, putting an end to the attacks. One of the dead wolves was sent to the hunting museum of Riihimäki, the other in the St Olof’s school where they can still be seen today. The third wolf ended up as a doormat and disappeared.
In recent times, some Finnish conservationists, notably Pousette (2000) have debated the accuracy of the depicted events. Although he stated that there was no direct evidence that the wolves were previously captive animals as the wolf of Gysinge
was, he indicated that the possibility could not be ruled out. He also stated that the female had poor teeth. Erkki Pulliainen, the leading wolf specialist of the Wolf Specialist Group of the IUCN stated that the historical information was very unreliable, and told the newspaper "Demari" on October 27, 2005 that one Turku wolf was really a wolf-dog hybrid. Eirik Granqvist wrote an article in the leading daily Helsingin Sanomat
confirming that they had been positively identified as wolves after their remains had been examined in both the hunting museum and St Olof's school.
Man-eater
Man-eater is a colloquial term for an animal that preys upon humans. This does not include scavenging. Although human beings can be attacked by many kinds of animals, man-eaters are those that have incorporated human flesh into their usual diet...
wolves which between 1880–81, killed 22 children in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The average age
of the victims of these wolves was 5.9 years. Their depredations caused such concern that the local and national government became involved, calling help from Russian and Lithuanian hunters, as well as the army. The wolves killed their last victim on November 18, 1881. On January 12, 1882, an old female wolf was shot and twelve days later, an adult male was poisoned, putting an end to the attacks. One of the dead wolves was sent to the hunting museum of Riihimäki, the other in the St Olof’s school where they can still be seen today. The third wolf ended up as a doormat and disappeared.
In recent times, some Finnish conservationists, notably Pousette (2000) have debated the accuracy of the depicted events. Although he stated that there was no direct evidence that the wolves were previously captive animals as the wolf of Gysinge
Wolf of Gysinge
The Wolf of Gysinge was a man-eating wolf which, in three months, attacked and killed many children in Gysinge near central Sweden in the early 1820s.-Attacks:...
was, he indicated that the possibility could not be ruled out. He also stated that the female had poor teeth. Erkki Pulliainen, the leading wolf specialist of the Wolf Specialist Group of the IUCN stated that the historical information was very unreliable, and told the newspaper "Demari" on October 27, 2005 that one Turku wolf was really a wolf-dog hybrid. Eirik Granqvist wrote an article in the leading daily Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
confirming that they had been positively identified as wolves after their remains had been examined in both the hunting museum and St Olof's school.