A pack of wolves surrounded a small farming community in western China and attacked six people, seriously wounding two. Injuries ranged from minor bites and scratches to the face, neck, and chest, but one victim had an ear bit off.

Occurring shortly before midnight on August 13th, a wolf pack invaded a community of herders in the village of Kalazhuole in the sparsely populated Altay Pefecture near the Mongolian border in China's Xinjiang Province. Awakened by the pack's braying, several villagers went out to fight the canids in defense of their sheep herds. It has been suggested that it was the livestock that was the initial target and the injuries sustained by the villagers only happened because they got in the way. Once the men and women fled, the wolves fell upon the farm animals, killing many. 

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"I was asleep in a water pump room," said villager Zhao Duobai in local reports. "At around 1 a.m., I heard a scratching at the door. When I went outside, I saw the wolves pacing around. I took a small bucket and smashed one of their heads, but it rushed at me and attacked. I grabbed a wooden plate and hit it very hard around the head and it ran away. Later, I realised I was covered in blood." 

The incident follows a previous attack in April. It is not known if the same pack is responsible for both attacks.

By the time the herders had assembled a hunting party, the wolves had deserted Kalazhuole and the injured had been taken to hospitals for treatment.

The attack has stunned authorities. The territory is well-known for its populations of the Eurasian wolf, and scuffles between herders and wolf packs are a common story, but group attacks are rare. While wolves all over the world have been known to stalk humans, they usually run away from direct confrontations unless habituated to human contact or are rabid.

Quoted in the People's Daily website, Yang Weikang with Chinese Academy of Sciences suspected the attack is a result of human encroachment on the wolves' hunting territory. New roads are carving up what was open grassland, and farms and mines are forcing the animals wolves feed on to move away. 

Another factor is the what may be the worst drought in 60 years in a region already arid. Rainfall, 7.5 inches on average, is down by a third, leaving several Altay farms and herds high and dry. Combined with a diminishing range, it is possible the wolves were emboldened by hunger and not perceived easy pickings.

TagsWolf attack, Xinjiang, Altay, . wolf