Wolf of Gysinge
Encyclopedia
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.
and Gästrikland
in central Sweden
.
With the exception of one 19-year old woman, all victims of fatal attacks were children between the ages of three and a half, and 15; in addition, the 15 injured victims were mostly children, except for one 18-year old male.
TV series Manhunters
in the final episode, The Man-Eating Wolves of Gysinge, which aired on 16 December 2005. The episode took artistic liberty in portraying the number of wolves involved in the attacks, showing two animals instead of one. The man-eating wolves were portrayed by Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
s.
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...
wolf which, in three months, attacked and killed many children in Gysinge near central Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in the early 1820s.
Attacks
During a three-month period between December 30, 1820 and March 27, 1821, the wolf attacked 31 people, which resulted in a total of 12 fatalities, most of whom were partially consumed by the wolf. The attacks occurred near Gysinge, near the border of DalarnaDalarna
', English exonym: Dalecarlia, is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. Another English language form established in literature is the Dales. Places involving the element Dalecarlia exist in the United States....
and Gästrikland
Gästrikland
' is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Uppland, Västmanland, Dalarna, Hälsingland and the Gulf of Bothnia. Gästrikland is the southernmost of the Norrland provinces....
in central Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
With the exception of one 19-year old woman, all victims of fatal attacks were children between the ages of three and a half, and 15; in addition, the 15 injured victims were mostly children, except for one 18-year old male.
Wolf
The wolf was killed on March 27, 1821. Historical accounts indicate that before becoming a man-eater, the wolf was captured as a pup in 1817, and kept in captivity for several years before escaping. In captivity, wolves tend to lose their natural shyness of humans and thus attack more frequently after escape from captivity.Dramatisation
The incident was dramatised in the BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
TV series Manhunters
Manhunters (drama)
Manhunters was a three-part TV Drama Series that Aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom in Autumn 2005. It tells the story of three cases of Man-eaters through the memoirs of those who hunted them and, in the case of the third episode, accidentally unleashed them on their community...
in the final episode, The Man-Eating Wolves of Gysinge, which aired on 16 December 2005. The episode took artistic liberty in portraying the number of wolves involved in the attacks, showing two animals instead of one. The man-eating wolves were portrayed by Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is a relatively new breed of dog that traces its original lineage to an experiment conducted in 1955 in Czechoslovakia...
s.