Abstract
The return of the wolf in its historical range is raising social conflicts with local
communities for the perceived potential threat to people safety. In this study we
applied molecular methods to solve an unusual case of wolf attack towards a man in
the Northern Italian Apennines. We analysed seven biological samples, collected from
the clothes of the injured man, using mtDNA sequences, the Amelogenin gene, 39 unlinked
autosomal and four Y-linked microsatellites. Results indicated that the aggression
was conducted by a male dog and not by a wolf nor a wolf x dog hybrid. Our findings were later confirmed by the victim, who confessed he had
been attacked by the guard dog of a neighbour. The genetic profile of the owned dog
perfectly matched with that identified from the samples previously collected. Our
results prove once again that the wolf does not currently represent a risk for human
safety in developed countries, whereas most animal aggressions are carried out by
its domestic relative, the dog.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 14, 2016
Received:
June 8,
2016
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
