Unrest has been caused recently in Panorama and Thermi, in Thessaloniki, by the presence of a wolf pack. In its announcement, the Environmental Organization “Kallisto” clarifies that based on current data, it is a pack of five wolves, and three successful deterrence operations have already been carried out to move them away from residential areas.
“The operations are based on locating wolves in real-time from air and ground, using thermal drones and thermal cameras respectively, and once they approach homes, they are scared away at close range using special projectile firecrackers and a special launcher, which the Forest Service has and were secured in the past through the LIFE Amy Bear program, of which ‘Kallisto’ was a partner. The goal of the deterrents is for wolves to associate their presence near houses with negative stimuli and fear,” explains the environmental organization in its announcement. Meanwhile, “Kallisto” provides useful guidelines on what citizens should do if they encounter wolves.
The announcement issued by “Kallisto” regarding the appearance of wolves in Thessaloniki
The Environmental Organization “Kallisto” has been informed since November 2025 about the presence of a wolf pack in the wider area of Panorama and Thermi, Thessaloniki. It is a pack of five individuals that approaches the area during evening and morning hours in search of food. The presence of wolves in the area may be connected to the presence of wild boar, which constitute natural prey for wolves, as well as the presence of other human-generated food sources.
From the first moment, the Environmental Organization “Kallisto”, within the framework of the European program “LIFE Wild Wolf”, has been in communication and cooperation with the Thessaloniki Forest Service, with the support of the Central Macedonia Forest Policy Inspectorate, as well as with the Municipality of Pylaia-Chortiatis, in order to monitor and evaluate the behavior of this specific wolf pack for any issues concerning public safety and their management. To date, three successful deterrence operations have been carried out by “Kallisto’s” Emergency Wolf Response Team, in cooperation with the Municipality of Pylaia-Chortiatis and the Thessaloniki Forest Service. The operations are based on locating wolves in real-time from air and ground, using thermal drones and thermal cameras respectively, and once they approach homes, they are scared away at close range using special projectile firecrackers and a special launcher, which the Forest Service has and were secured in the past through the LIFE Amy Bear program, of which “Kallisto” was a partner. The goal of the deterrents is for wolves to associate their presence near houses with negative stimuli and fear.
According to the monitoring data of the incident so far, this specific wolf pack moves in the sparsely populated areas of Panorama and Thermi, without having shown familiarity with human presence itself, as in cases where wolves perceive a human outside a vehicle or building, they immediately move away. Their presence outside single-family homes in the above areas does not constitute a danger to human life, although this is not considered desirable, and for this reason deterrence operations are being implemented. Additionally, residents must follow the authorities’ guidelines in case of encountering them, to prevent escalation of the incident.
The guidelines concern limiting available human-generated food sources for wolves, such as garbage outside bins, illegal dumps, dead livestock animals, etc., which function as factors for unwanted attraction of wildlife species near homes.
The Environmental Organization “Kallisto” evaluates each incident of wolf approach and subsequently informs the competent authorities, based on the protocol that has been developed within the framework of the European Life Wild Wolf project, whose institutionalization is sought, in order to facilitate the competent authorities in handling similar incidents. This specific protocol evaluates wolf behavior on a case-by-case basis and, based on specific criteria, assesses the risk that an incident may pose to human safety. Depending on the assessment of the incident, appropriate measures and actions are proposed.
What you should do if you see wolves
“Kallisto” members participated in the extended meeting that took place on the initiative of the Mayor of Pylaia-Chortiatis, Mr. Ignatios Kaitezidis, during which it was agreed and has since been implemented the immediate application of the protocol for managing incidents of wolf approaches in suburban areas.
The following are resident information guidelines:
- Feeding is prohibited (as with all wildlife species).
- Abandoning dead animals and animal remains in forests and forest areas is prohibited, especially near facilities, homes, stables, etc.
- When walking dogs with their owner in the countryside, some noise should be made to indicate the presence of accompanying humans.
- In case of encountering a wolf/wolves when the animal(s) are at a distance greater than 50 meters, we observe their behavior (they often observe humans out of curiosity and not aggressive intent) and never approach the animals. We call our dog close to us.
- In cases where a wolf or wolves approach a human outside a vehicle or building at a distance of 30 meters or less, we express ourselves with an aggressive tone of voice and display corresponding behavior.
- In cases or periods where frequent wolf appearances have been reported in a suburban area, as a precaution we do not leave unsupervised young children to move or play alone in the countryside. Obviously this is recommended as a desirable safety measure for other more common and everyday dangers, such as the presence of stray dog packs.
- Citizens are also asked to immediately inform the Thessaloniki Forest Service in case of wolf presence near homes or human activity, as there is a phenomenon of photos or videos appearing on social media without documented authenticity and without the competent authorities being informed earlier.
