PANICKED residents in a Galicia town called the Guardia Civil after seeing two fully-grown wolves strolling down their street – the latest rarely-spotted wild animals to reclaim the streets now humans have vacated them.
Officers went out to the small hamlet of O Val de Lourenzá (Lugo province), where they got close enough to see the wolves without frightening them or placing themselves at risk.
They confirmed the wolves are two males, and that the same ones have been seen several times recently, pottering about in the eastern area of the A Mariña district between the villages of Trabada, Barreiros, Ribadeo and O Val de Lourenzá.
Authorities say they are attempting to locate them so they can coax them back into the wild, but do not believe they pose a threat to the public as long as humans and pets stay indoors.
They recommend 'precaution' if anyone comes across them on the street, since 'they are wild animals', and may be unpredictable.
In most cases, unless they feel threatened – when they may become aggressive defending themselves – wolves are not likely to approach a human and will normally try to avoid them.
The above photograph, from Twitter, is one of many taken by the Guardia Civil and members of the public which have gone viral on social media.
