10 The Russian Superpack
Verkhoyansk is a small town located in the Sakha Republic of Russia. It is situated on the Yana River, near the Arctic Circle. Verkhoyansk is the third smallest town in Russia, and the residents maintain a river port, an airport, a fur-collecting depot and the center of a reindeer-raising area. The town is notable for its exceptionally cold winters. The average monthly temperatures range from −45.8 °C (−50.4 °F) in January to 16.9 °C (62.4 °F) in July. Verkhoyansk is one of the most remote places in the northern hemisphere and it lies within an area known as Stalin’s Death Ring, after the former dictator sent political exiles there due to the extreme conditions.
In 2011, strange reports began to surface from village residents. A huge pack of gray wolves was regularly seen around the city’s proximity. It has been estimated that the pack is made up of 400 animals. The report has baffled wildlife experts, who have indicated that a pack of wolves this size is unheard of. The animals usually prefer to hunt in smaller groups of just six or seven. The massive collection of wolves is believed to be made up of several separate packs. The wolves began to frighten Verkhoyansk residents when they started to attack and kill local livestock. In early February of 2011, thirty horses were targeted and eaten by the pack. It is unusual for wolves to hunt such large prey. However, the animal’s usual diet, such as rabbits, has greatly decreased this year due to lack of plants, berries and food.
It has been noted by specialists that wolves are very careful in choosing the most nutritious food source that is the easiest to obtain. In this case, the meal happens to be horses. The wolf pack will start attacking dangerous prey when they run out of these options. For this reason, 24 teams of hunters have been put together to kill the animals. The men are paid a bounty of £210 for every wolf skin brought to officials. They will patrol the town’s neighborhoods on snowmobiles and set wolf traps. Once the daylight increases, the hunters will start shooting predators from helicopters. Environmentalists and wolf experts continue to follow the story, as a normal pack of wolves is not this size and the animals usually thrive where humans do not, in mountains or other isolated regions.
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