wolf pack
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A rumoured 400-strong pack of wolves that has slain 30 horses and is said to pose a threat to human life has sparked fear in the northeastern Russian region of Yakutia.

Hunters have been dispatched to deal with the beasts, state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported, and a single pelt would be met with a reward of 10,000 roubles ($335).

"We have gathered 24 hunting parties to patrol the neighbourhood on snowmobiles. We also set traps. Using poison against wolves is forbidden though. When daytime becomes long enough, the hunters will shoot the predators from helicopters," said a spokesman for the administration of the Verhnoyarsky region, where the wolf pack lives, as cited by Interfax news agency.

But the Moscow News website said reports of the huge wolf pack should be tempered by the knowledge that wolves usually form groups of no more than 20, suggesting "a group of 400 would be difficult to sustain".

The Yakutia (or Sakha) Republic covers a vast expanse of northeastern Russia and is comparable in size to India.