December 23, 1998
  Web posted at: 2:06 p.m. EST (1906 GMT) 

  VORONEZH, Russia (CNN) -- Farmer Nicolai Vassiliev said he recently killed
  a fourth wolf right in front of his house. In the last nine years, he said,
  wolves have killed six of his dogs. Now he always keeps his rifle loaded,
  waiting for the wolves. 

  Thousands of wolves roam in the taiga forests of western Russia, feeding on
  small game as well as moose, deer and wild boar. In the villages of the
  region, among people whose ancestors have lived in the area for centuries,
  the wolf is a feared predator that must be controlled. 

  And lately that fear has increased. The difficult economic times in Russia
  have caused many people to hunt wild game, cutting back on the usual prey
  available for wolves. So the wolves are becoming more daring, coming into
  the villages to kill geese, sheep and cows. 

  Some parents fear that wolves will attack their children on the way to
  school, and forbid them to walk alone in the forest. 

  hunter with wolf 
  Wolves can be hunted year-round in Russia, and are only protected in
  national parks and reserves 

  In Russia, wolves have no legal protection outside of national parks and
  reserves. They can be hunted year-round, without limits. 

  One hunter boasts that he has killed more than 100 wolves during the last
  50 years and was actually awarded a medal for it by the former Soviet
  government. 

  It is almost as though Russia has declared war on wolves. One federal
  official has suggested raising the bounties on the animals and sponsoring
  helicopter hunts. He said 15,000 wolves will be killed this year, but that
  Russia's total wolf population of 45,000 will remain stable. 

  Some wolf experts doubt that assessment. They say that a heightened
  campaign against wolves could wipe them out across vast areas of Russia. 

  Correspondent Gary Strieker contributed to this report.

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