Naturstyrelsen has posted warning signs at Bunken Klitplantage in North Jutland, asking people to walk elsewhere after a runner came face to face with a wolf defending its cub.
The notices are laminated A4 pages placed at entrances to the dune plantation. As DR reports, the agency recommends that visitors find another area for their walk. The aim is to give the wolves peace and prevent further encounters.
The trigger was an incident on Friday, when a runner met a male wolf that bared its teeth to protect a cub. Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare Christian Rabjerg Madsen (S) told DR Nyheder that no one should be exposed to that again, even though experts say it is not dangerous.
Naturstyrelsen deputy director Mads Jensen said the situation is rare, and that researchers say the same. He added that the agency was itself surprised by how frightening a wolf can appear. According to Naturstyrelsen, there are no current plans to close areas elsewhere in Jutland.
Cubs expected in 10 territories
There are 10 wolf pairs in Jutland, and experts expect that cubs have been born in those territories as well. Jensen said no signs are planned south of the Limfjord, mainly because far fewer people move through the other breeding areas. He also said there have been no comparable episodes there.
The most recent count found 49 adult wolves at the end of April 2026, just before this year’s cubs were born. In July 2026, The Guardian reported that Denmark was issuing advice to tourists on how to behave if they meet a wolf, and cited the same estimate of 49 wolves on the Jutland peninsula.
It is not the first time authorities have restricted access to give breeding wolves quiet. Parts of Stråsø Plantage near Holstebro have been closed several times, and a similar step was taken at Hovborg. A 2020 notice from Naturstyrelsen set out the same rationale.
Peter Sunde, a wolf expert and professor at the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University, said the main benefit is preventing wolves from getting used to people. He noted that such zones must be enforced, or visitors may seek the animals out to see them.
Naturstyrelsen also consulted Styrelsen for Grøn Arealomlægning og Vandområder, which likewise pointed out that human activity can habituate wolves and lead to unwanted behavior over time. That agency also considers the need for protection to be declining because of the growing wolf population, and it stresses that the public should have access to nature.
Naturstyrelsen’s own rules state that state-owned areas can generally be entered on foot around the clock. The recommendation at Bunken Klitplantage is therefore a local exception rather than a general ban.
