Would a wild animal like a wolf be terrified of a vacuum cleaner the way many cats & dogs are?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Just curious. Would a loud piece of equipment like a leafblower scare off a pack of wolves? Could you chase a lion around with an airhorn?

2

Possibly. I read a while back that a common reason why dogs freak out around some machinery is that it’s producing a very loud ultrasonic noise. Logically, wolves would be at least as sensitive.

3

There’s probably a limit on how much loud offensive noises scare away hungry predators.

However I find it amusing to think of a hiker on a remote trail who when confronted by an angry grizzly bear, whips a vacuum cleaner out of his backpack and sends the beast fleeing into the woods.

4

My cats don’t appear to be terribly frightened of the vacuum. They leave the room, but let’s be honest, if you were napping on the couch and some jerk decided to run a vacuum 2 feet from your head, you’d leave too.

Now, if I was cornered by a pack of wolves and had a choice of a leaf blower or a rake to defend myself with, I’d probably try the blower, in the hopes that they get nervous and look for easier prey.

5

The Goldens of my previous life were only afraid of the vacuum when it was used upstairs; when we used it downstairs on concrete, where the floor didn’t vibrate, they ignored the vacuum.

However, my Shane dog was scared of vacuums not because of the noise but due to the fact that it had a dreaded tube. A paper-towel-sized tube or larger would send her running. She could kill them in the larval toilet-paper size.

6

My shelties attack the vacuum and leaf blower. They’d probably try to attack the lawn mower too, but I don’t let them out with me when I mow. (There are better ways to clip that fur! :rolleyes: )

So maybe you’d encounter a wolf/bear that has the same tendencies and just make it worse!

7

Wild animals are often afraid of things they don’t understand, and they are typically afraid of humans as well. In the wild there are many animals that are far more dangerous than their size would suggest, and thus it is not a surprise that many large wild animals will be cautious or even retreat if presented with something entirely outside their experience. Animal instinct is good enough to recognize that the unknown is too hard to calculate, and can lead to injury and death.