Huge wolf shot dead in quiet village after residents were 'scared to let children outside'

A huge wolf was shot dead by residents in a village after packs of the animals were reportedly terrorising locals.

The massive animal was shot and killed in the Blagoveshchensky district in southwestern Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan after it was spotted close to the local cemetery.

Reports state a local resident, who has not been named but is originally from the village of Alexandrovka in the district, decided to shoot the wolf as it was moving closer to homes and could pose a danger for the locals.

Local media report the man seen carrying the wolf’s dead body on his back in the photo is the man who shot the animal.

This is the man-sized wolf residents in a Russian village have killed as packs of the animals are terrorising locals (Newsflash/@vesti.ru)

The gunman said the wolf was particularly dangerous for both humans and domestic animals because of its large size.

Andrei Baranov, the state inspector for nature protection, said hunting licences had been issued but few of the predators had been killed.

"There are no good hunters left," he is reported to have said.

According to the reports, more wolves are being seen in the Blagoveshchensky district in the last couple of months, with the animals moving closer to houses and gardens.

Local residents are reportedly scared to let their children play outside or even walk in the streets alone.

A pack of wolves recently killed three dogs in the area before locals could intervene, while in Baleysky District a pack of wolves killed over twenty animals including sheep, cows and horses.

There are believed to be 30,000 wolves in the wild in Russia.