Canis lupus

Conservation biology requires the development of practical tools and techniques to minimize con- flicts arising from human modification of ecosystems. We applied behavioral theory of primary and secondary repellents to predator management by using aversive stimulus devices (electronic training collars) and dis- ruptive stimulus devices (behavior-contingent audio and visual repellents) in a multipredator ( Canis lupus, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Ursus spp.)

Domestic dogs, Canis familiaris, have been shown capable of finding hidden food by following pointing gestures made with different parts of the human body. However, previous studies have reported that hand-reared wolves, C. lupus, fail to locate hidden food in response to similar points in the absence of extensive training. The failure of wolves to perform this task has led to the proposal that the ability to understand others' intentions is a derived character in dogs, not present in the ancestral population (wolves). Here we show that wolves, given the right rearing environment and daily interaction with humans, can use momentary distal human pointing cues to find food without training, whereas dogs tested outdoors and dogs at an animal shelter do not follow the same human points. In line with past studies, pet dogs tested indoors were successful in following these points. We also show that the reported failure of wolves in some past studies may be due to differences in the testing environment. Our findings indicate that domestication is not a prerequisite for human-like social cognition in canids, and show the need for additional research on the role of rearing conditions and environmental factors in the development of higher-level cognitive abilities.

I examined developmental changes in associations among components of timber wolf (Canis lupus) postural communication in two hand-reared pups between 15 and 85 days of age. The frequency with which select postural components co-occurred was scored from 180 randomly sampled frames of video records of these pups made during social interactions. I used this index of association as the basis for multidimensional scaling and cluster analyses. Relations among postural components became more structured with age. Two-dimensional models were found to account for associations among postures displayed at 69-85 and 32-67 days of age but not at 15-32 days of age. I interpret these orthogonal dimensions as continua of dominance to submission and seriousness to playfulness. These data suggest the intended messages contained in postural displays may depend on the specific combinations of components used.

With the successful recolonization and reintroduction of wolves (Canis lupus) in parts of the western United States (Bangs and Fritts, 1996; Bangs et al., 1998) and the natural expansion of wolves in the upper Midwest (Fuller et al., 1992; Thiel, 2001), managing conflicts between wolves and livestock is a growing issue for livestock producers, resource professionals, and the general public

We determined the diet of the poorly-studied Middle Eastern wolves (Canis lupus) in central Iran in [2009][2010]. Food items consisted mainly of farmed chicken and domestic goat (i.e., anthropogenic resources) using both qualification and quantification methods. In contrast, we identified the remains of wild ungulates in negligible quantities. Our data simulations showed that poultry and goats are both primary food items of wolves in the study area. The relative importance of main prey items did not vary seasonally, and, although there were some minor differences in secondary food items, we did not reveal any seasonal effect in diet composition. The negligible consumption of wild prey strongly suggests that wolves are not, at present, a limiting factor for wild prey in our study area. Appropriate management of illegal dumping, in conjunction with excluding wolves and other carnivores from human refuse, would minimize the chance of human-carnivore encounters, wolf-livestock conflicts and, in turn, the persecution of carnivores. Our study contributed to our knowledge of the feeding ecology of the Middle Eastern wolves in areas with a relatively high abundance of anthropogenic foods and a moderately low abundance of wild prey.

Recovery of the endangered Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) is contingent upon releases of captive-born marmots into natural habitats. Success of such re-introduction programs largely depends on the ability of released animals to survive in the wild. However, whether and to what extent survival and cause-specific mortality rates of captive-born marmots differ from those of their wild-born counterparts remains unknown. We used radio-telemetry (1992-2007) and mark-resighting (1987-2007) data to estimate seasonal and annual survival rates of the Vancouver Island marmot, to compare survival and cause-specific mortality rates of captive-born marmots that have been released into the natural habitat with those of wild-born marmots, and to test for the effect of age-at-release on survival of the released marmots. Analysis of radio-telemetry data suggested no difference in survival of males versus females. However, annual survival of captive-born marmots released into the wild was low (S = 0.605; 95% CI = 0.507-0.696) compared to wild-born marmots (S = 0.854; 95% CI = 0.760-0.915). Marmots released as 2-year-old or older survived more successfully than those released as yearlings. Additional forensic evidence reinforced the idea that predation was the most important cause of mortality. Causes of death differed significantly between captive-born and wild-born marmots. Predation by golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetus) was the most important cause of mortality for captive-born marmots, whereas predation by wolves (Canis lupus) and cougars (Felis concolor) was more important for wild-born marmots. Agespecific apparent annual survival rate, estimated using the combined mark-resighting and radio-telemetry data, was lowest for pups (S = 0.500; 95% CI = 0.375-0.616) and highest for yearlings and adults (S = 0.656; 95% CI = 0.604-0.705); and apparent survival of 2-year-old was similar to that of yearlings and adults (S = 0.649; 95% CI = 0.527-0.754). Our results, based on the analysis of radio-telemetry data, suggest that delaying release of captive-born marmots until 2 years of age may enhance their probability of survival in the wild, and will likely improve the success of the release program.

Following the recolonisation of southern Scandinavia by wolves, the public has expressed high levels of fear of wolves. In response, we have reviewed the existing data on wolf attacks on humans from Fennoscandia during the last 300 years. We were able to find records of people being killed by wolves from all three countries: one from Norway, 16 from Sweden, and 77 from Finland. All cases were prior to 1882. The vast majority of victims were children under the age of 12. All the attacks were predatory in nature, as opposed to those done by rabid wolves. The incidents tended to cluster in space and time indicating that only certain wolves developed the habit of killing people. Implications for the present day management are discussed.

We are creating a pack of virtual creatures who exhibit the kinds of social interactions found in a natural species of animal, the gray wolf (Canis lupus). To do this, we are extending our synthetic character building toolkit to enable our characters to learn to adapt pre-existing behaviors for use in novel social contexts; to have and express emotional states;

Yellowstone have further bolstered the regional population. However, rigorous analysis of either the availability of wolf habitat in the entire region, or the specific habitat requirements of local wolves, has yet to be conducted. We examined wolf-habitat relationships in the northern Rocky Mountains of the U.S. by relating landscape/habitat features found within wolf pack home ranges (n ¼ 56) to those found in adjacent nonoccupied areas (n ¼ 56). Logistic regression revealed that increased forest cover, lower human population density, higher elk density, and lower sheep density were the primary factors related to wolf occupation. Similar factors promoted wolf pack persistence. Further, our analysis indicated that relatively large tracts of suitable habitat remain unoccupied in the Rocky Mountains, suggesting that wolf populations likely will continue to increase in the region. Analysis of the habitat linkage between the 3 main wolf recovery areas indicates that populations in central Idaho and northwest Montana have higher connectivity than either of the 2 recovery areas to the Greater Yellowstone recovery area. Thus, for the northern Rocky Mountains to function as a metapopulation for wolves, it will be necessary that dispersal corridors to the Yellowstone ecosystem be established and conserved.

Monitoring populations of elusive large carnivores like wolves (Canis lupus), which are often distributed at low density in widespread forested areas, is difficult or exceedingly expensive. Aiming to assess the power of two indirect monitoring methods, non-invasive genetic sampling and camera trapping, we designed a small-scale pilot study that was carried out from 2006 to 2008 in and around the Corno alle Scale Regional Park, Bologna, northern Italian Apennine. We collected 103 non-invasive samples (mainly scats) that were genotyped at 12 microsatellite loci and sexed using the ZFX gene. We identified 11 distinct wolf genotypes within the park and four wolf genotypes outside. Spatial locations and kinship analyses showed that the wolves belong to three different packs. The breeding pair of the 'Park' pack showed a complete turnover in the two sampling seasons. Two dogs, but no hybrids, were identified in the area. Up to five unbaited camera traps were activated (for 1,250 trapping-nights) close to recent wolf presence marks. We obtained 103 photos of wolves, documenting the reproduction events, the minimum number of adult and young wolves, and phenotype information each year. We obtained information on health conditions detecting probable sarcoptic mange in three individuals. Camera trapping also showed that the presence of wolves in a chase area during wild boar (Sus scrofa) hunting sessions was significantly higher in the nights just after a chase (P< 0.01, χ 2 test; P<0.07¸ exact Fisher test). The data obtained from genetics and camera trapping were consistent with one other, and in part complementary. The total cost of the study (c. 28,000 €) was moderate, suggesting that this integrated approach can be successfully used to monitor the structure and dynamics of local wolf packs.

We studied effects of recolonizing wolves (Canis lupus) in the North Fork of the Flathead area of northwestern Montana on the diets of coyotes (C. latrans) from 1994 to 1997. Wolf and coyote diets differed in frequency of occurrence of prey species during 3 of the 4 summers and winters (P Ͻ 0.001) during the study. Coyote diets contained more murid prey items, and wolf diets contained more deer (Odocoileus virginianus and O. hemionus) in the summer and elk (Cervus elaphus) in the winter. Coyotes and wolves ate prey of different size during both the summer (P Ͻ 0.001) and winter (P Ͻ 0.001) months in 1994-1996: wolves took a greater proportion (P Ͻ 0.001) of large (Ͼ45 kg) prey species and coyotes, small (Ͻ2 kg) prey (P Ͻ 0.001). Wolves selected a larger proportion of adults (P Ͻ 0.001), whereas coyotes selected a larger proportion of juveniles (P Ͻ 0.001) during summer. We believe that differential use of food resources facilitates coexistence of wolves and coyotes in the North Fork of the Flathead area.

Em 1997 iniciou-se um estudo luso-galego que visa caracterizar e conhecer a localização, tipologia, modo de utilização e manutenção dos fojos, na Península Ibérica. Pretende-se avaliar o estado de conservação dos fojos, definir factores responsáveis pela sua deterioração e propor medidas para a sua conservação e utilização turística. Os resultados aqui apresentados são preliminares, dizendo respeito somente aos dados obtidos até à data através da análise da bibliografia disponível, inquéritos e visita a alguns fojos. De acordo com a sua tipologia e modo de utilização existem cinco tipos distintos de fojos,: o Fojo simples; o Fojo de Cabrita, o Fojo de paredes convergentes, o Fojo de alçapão e o "Corral". À excepção do fojo simples, que apresenta uma distribuição generalizada, as restantes estruturas distribuem-se maioritariamente nas serras agrestes do Nor-Noroeste Ibérico, estando aparentemente ausentes nas zonas baixas e planálticas mais humanizadas. Verificou-se que a maioria dos fojos não são utilizados há mais de dois séculos sendo as principais ameaças à sua existência os caminhos florestais, o aproveitamento de pedra e o vandalismo. A maioria dos fojos caracterizados encontra-se bastante destruida salvo casos particulares resultantes da sua recente utilização ou da sua recuperação. Por fim, alerta-se para a necessidade da sua divulgação, principalmente junto às populações rurais.

The diet strategy of the wolf in Europe is reviewed on the basis of 74 basic and 14 additional literature  sources. The comparative analysis reveals clear dependence on the latitude (and, therefore, on the changing  environmental conditions) correlated with the wild ungulate abundance and diversity. Following a  geographic pattern, the wolf is specialised on different species of ungulates: moose and reindeer in Scandinavia,  red deer in Central and Eastern Europe and wild boar in Southern Europe. Where this large prey  is taken, the roe deer is hunted with almost the same frequency in every region. The wolf diet in Europe  shows two ecological adaptations formed by a complex of variables: 1. Wolves living in natural habitats  with abundance of wild ungulates feed mainly on wild prey. 2. In highly anthropogenic habitats, with low  abundance of wild prey, wolves feed on livestock (where husbandry of domestic animals is available) and  take also a lot of plant food, smaller prey (hares and rodents) and garbage food. The frequency of occurrence  of wild ungulates in the diet of wolves in North Europe varies from 54.0% in Belarus to 132.7% in  Poland, while that of livestock is in the range from 0.4% in Norway to 74.9% in Belarus. In South Europe,  the frequency of occurrence of wild prey varies from 0% in Italy and Spain to 136.0% in Italy, while of domestic  ungulates ranges between 0% and 100% in Spain. The low density or lack of wild prey triggers the  switch of the wolf diet to livestock, plant food (32.2-85% in Italy) or even garbage (up to 41.5% in Italy).

The growth of the Finnish wolf (Canis lupus) population during the last years has highlighted people's contradictory attitudes toward wolves. The supranational conservation objectives brought on by Finland's membership in the European Union (EU) and the regional application of the official policy on wolves have led to conflicts. This article is based on the preparation process of the wolf management plan in Finland. As a part of the process, a nationwide hearing was arranged in 2004. Fear of wolves is widespread and even more common in areas with low wolf population. People living in areas where wolves occur feel that they can no longer influence decision making which affects them and that the authorities, conservationists, and the EU do not listen to their opinions. Numerous requests have been made for the legislation and its interpretation, and concessions to these requests would promote consensus and increase tolerance for wolves. Proposed changes include reforming the damage compen-sation system and formulating a clearer interpretation of the conservation status of wolves. However, it seems impossible to create a policy that would be universally supported. As the wolf question has become more central in environmental policy, the conservation and management of the species have become more complicated, and the cooperation between various interest groups has declined. The wolf conflict could be mitigated by compromises, but because the conflict is value-based, solutions are illusive.

Population dynamics and demography of the Wolf Canis lupus were studied in Bialowieh Primeval Forest (BPF. 1250 km2), the best preserved mixed and deciduous forest in the lowlands of Europe; 40% of BPF belongs to Poland and 60% to the Belarus Republic. Polish and Belarussian game departments' inventories of Wolf numbers (1946-93), archival hunting statistics (1847-1993), observations, snowtracking and reports on shot Wolves (1980-93) are presented. In BPF, Wolves coexist with five species of ungulates: European Bison Bison bonasus, Moose Alces alces, Red Deer Cervus elaphus, Roe Deer Cupreolus capreolus and Wild Boar Sus scrofa.

We have produced computational simulations of multi-agent systems in which wolf agents chase prey agents. We show that two simple decentralized rules controlling the movement of each wolf are enough to reproduce the main features of the wolf-pack hunting behavior: tracking the prey, carrying out the pursuit, and encircling the prey until it stops moving. The rules are (1) move towards the prey until a minimum safe distance to the prey is reached, and (2) when close enough to the prey, move away from the other wolves that are close to the safe distance to the prey. The hunting agents are autonomous, interchangeable and indistinguishable; the only information each agent needs is the position of the other agents. Our results suggest that wolf-pack hunting is an emergent collective behavior which does not necessarily rely on the presence of effective communication between the individuals participating in the hunt, and that no hierarchy is needed in the group to achieve the task properly.

Over the last two decades increasing evidence for an acute sensitivity to human gestures and attentional states in domestic dogs has led to a burgeoning of research into the social cognition of this highly familiar yet previously under-studied animal. Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) have been shown to be more successful than their closest relative (and wild progenitor) the wolf, and than man"s closest relative, the chimpanzee, on tests of sensitivity to human social cues, such as following points to a container holding hidden food. The "Domestication Hypothesis" asserts that during domestication dogs evolved an inherent sensitivity to human gestures that their nondomesticated counterparts do not share. According to this view, sensitivity to human cues is present in dogs at an early age and shows little evidence of acquisition during ontogeny. A closer look at the findings of research on canine domestication, socialization, and conditioning, brings the assumptions of this hypothesis into question. We propose the Two Stage Hypothesis, according to which the sensitivity of an individual animal to human actions depends on acceptance of humans as social companions, and conditioning to follow human limbs. This 2 offers a more parsimonious explanation for the domestic dog"s sensitivity to human gestures, without requiring the use of additional mechanisms. We outline how tests of this new hypothesis open directions for future study that offer promise of a deeper understanding of mankind"s oldest companion.

Isotopic tracking of carnivore palaeoecology is a relatively new approach that yielded important results for the study of the non-analogue mammoth steppe biome. After describing the prerequisite to apply this approach and the possible complications, the main achievements will be described for extinct carnivore species such as scimitar-tooth cat Homotherium serum, cave lion Panthera spelaea, giant short-faced bear Arctodus simus, cave bear Ursus spelaeus s.l., as well as for ancient representatives of extant species such as brown bear Ursus arctos and wolf Canis lupus. Isotopic tracking showed that scimitar-tooth cats in Alaska were not a specialist proboscidean predators but rather generalist consumers of other large herbivores. The majority of cave lions analyzed so far were focused on reindeer, some individuals were specialized on cave bears, especially in contexts of competition with cave hyenas. Giant short-faced bears in Alaska were not pure herbivores and consumed meat from reindeer, muskoxen and possibly other predators, but may have still incorporated plant resources in their menu. In contrast, all cave bear populations studied so far for which a clear dietary reconstruction could be done were virtually pure herbivores, only a few cases are still unclear. Interestingly, brown bears used the opposite extreme of the dietary spectrum when competing with other large bears such as cave bears and giant short-faced bears, i.e. were more carnivorous in Europe and more herbivorous in Alaska. Finally wolves seem to have been outcompeted by hyenas but became dominant predators during the Lateglacial in Europe to the expense of the last cave lions. The results obtained through this approach are also relevant for improving conservation strategies of endangered extant large carnivores.

La ricerca su Valenze del lupo nel mondo romano, concentrata sul periodo monarchico e repubblicano, è finalizzata all’indagine di un tema, quello del lupo nel mondo romano, già oggetto di numerosi studi che hanno riguardato in alcuni casi la raccolta e l’analisi filologica delle fonti storiche, in altri la catalogazione di materiali figurati e la loro analisi iconografica e iconologica, in altri ancora l’interpretazione in chiave religiosa e socioculturale. Ne deriva che l’argomento non è mai stato trattato in maniera organica, sulla base cioè dell’utilizzo integrato di fonti storiche, documentazione archeologica e analisi comparativa, strumenti che solo se utilizzati insieme riescono a dare del problema un quadro esaustivo. Non basta. Poiché l’oggetto in esame, il lupo, non costituisce un’entità astratta, bensì un’entità reale, oggetto di approfonditi studi nel campo della zoologia, si ritiene opportuno partire dai dati scientifici relativi a tassonomia, distribuzione, morfologia e etologia per stabilire corrispondenze con i dati messi a disposizione dalla ricerca storica. A questo tipo di approccio è da riferire anche l’analisi della licantropia come forma di delirio di origine neurologica, secondo la classificazione della medicina moderna, ma così interpretata già a partire da Galeno.  La ricerca, che si avvale anche di fonti e testimonianze che esorbitano il periodo prescelto qualora si tratti di espressioni che possano essere riferite a tradizioni antiche, si articola in tre parti. La prima, costituita dalla raccolta della documentazione, dove si analizza il lupo con i dati messi a disposizione dalla scienza moderna; si procede alla raccolta delle fonti sul lupo nel mondo romano, con particolare approfondimento degli episodi legati al lupo e relativi alla leggenda di fondazione della città di Roma, l’analisi del complesso dei Lupercalia e dei racconti e degli eventi prodigiosi che, nell’ambito del periodo indagato, presentano una connessione con il lupo. La fase di documentazione è completata dall’analisi topografica dei luoghi che, nella città di Roma, presentano una relazione con il lupo o con i rituali ad esso collegati nonché dall’analisi di materiali figurati significativi. La seconda parte riguarda la comparazione e si occupa di verificare le valenze del lupo nel mondo indoeuropeo, con un’attenzione particolare all’area occupata da popolazioni elleniche, per la quale si registrano il maggior numero di fonti, e, tra gli altri popoli, alla presenza del tema in questione presso gli Etruschi, ma senza tralasciare indicazioni utili che possono provenire da altre culture, anche da quelle non direttamente in contatto con il mondo romano, ma originate dallo stesso sostrato. L’ultima fase della ricerca riguarda l’analisi dei dati raccolti.

The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was one of Australia's largest predators, but became extinct in mainland Australia soon after the arrival of a new predator, the dingo (Canis lupus dingo) around 3500 bp. Evidence implicating the dingo in the thylacine's extinction has been equivocal, largely because thylacines are thought to be considerably larger than dingoes. Thus, other concurrent factors, such as shifts in human technology and population increase as well as climate change, have been cited to explain their extinction. Here we present new morphological evidence that female mainland Holocene thylacines were actually smaller than dingoes. We discuss these findings against archaeological and contemporary ecological evidence concerning dingoes' environmental impacts, and provide evidence that, as novel predators, dingoes induced a trophic cascade that had dramatic impacts on the fauna and economy of Holocene Australia. We suggest that dingoes, owing to their larger brains and body size, were likely a primary agent for the extinction of the thylacine from mainland Australia.

In the Romain-la-Roche (Doubs) fossil site the carnivores are an important part in the great amount of fauna remains excavated. They form now an important reference for the Canidae, Ursidae and Felidae, which occur there in a considerable quantity. The Canidae correspond to Vulpes lagopus, Vulpes vulpes and mainly to Canis lupus. As often, two Ursidae coexist, Ursus arctos and Ursus spelaeus, which is greatly the most abundant. Three species of Felidae occur, Felis silvestris, Panthera pardus and essentially Panthera spelaea. There are three skulls and one skeleton of P. spelaea scattered throughout some square meters. The biochronology of Canis lupus, of Ursus spelaeus and of Panthera spelaea provides convergent dating elements, pointing around stage 5 (Eemian Interglacial). The Rabeder's method applied on the fourth premolars of Ursus spelaeus indicates an evolutive stage comparable to that of the cave bear found in the deep layers of Herdengelhoehle (Austria) which is dated between 112 000 and 135 000 years.

Le 12 e septembre 1751 a été inhumé dans le cimetière de cette paroisse par nous curé soussigné la tête et quelques restes des os du corps de Marie Hulot, âgée d'environ 8 ans. Laquelle fut dévorée et mangée hier par un animal qu'on appelle vulgairement la bête. Et duquel corps on n'a pu trouver que la tête et une petite poignée de côtes et autres petits os et les habits à leur entier et une jambe à l'entier avec l'os de la cuisse. Ladite sépulture en présence de demoiselle Élisabeth du Bellay, et de plusieurs autres qui n'ont signé, Jean Hulot et Françoise Luneau, ses père et mère n'ont pu y assister à cause de leur affliction. » Archives départementales Loir-et-Cher, registres paroissiaux de Saint-Arnoult.

A partire dall'analisi delle antiche fonti letterarie, delle raffigurazioni artistiche e dei contesti funerari, questo studio riassume le principali evidenze circa la presenza del cane al fianco delle divinità ctonie del pantheon greco, nei rituali sacrificali e nelle sepolture, concludendo con un piccolo focus sulle raffigurazioni di questo animale nell'arte funeraria attica d'età classica.

Revista Orígenes y Raíces número 15, 2020. Sociedad de Estudios Historiológicos y Etnográficos.

- EL BARCO DE SIERRA ESPUÑA. ARTE ESQUEMÁTICO DE GRANDES PROPORCIONES EN LAS CUEVAS DE LA PLATA (TOTANA). Teresa Fernández Azorín, Pedro Lucas Salcedo.
- PRESENCIA DEL LOBO EN LAS FUENTES CLÁSICAS. Teresa Fernández Azorín.
- SOBRE EL HALLAGO Y PROTECCIÓN DE LAS PINTURAS DE  LA PARROQUIA DEL SALVADOR (CARAVACA). Pedro Lucas Salcedo.
- GÉNESIS, EVOLUCIÓN Y REPRESIÓN DEL MOVIMIENTO OBRERO
EN CARTAGENA-LA UNIÓN PATRIMONIO HISTÓRICO VINCULADO. Javier Alberto Crespo Aledo.

Wolves (Canis lupus) have expanded their distribution into areas of the midwest United States that have not had wolves for several decades. With recolonization of wolves into agricultural areas, there is increasing concern of wolf-livestock conflicts. To assess the risk wolves may pose to livestock, we initiated a 3-year study investigating the activity patterns, movements, habitat use, visitation to livestock pastures by wolves, and the occurrence of depredation events in an agricultural-wildland matrix in northwestern Minnesota, USA. From June 1997 to November 1999, we captured 23 wolves, including pups, from 3 packs; we radiocollared 16 of these wolves. We tracked radioed wolves intensively on a 24-hour basis during the spring, summer, and autumn of 1998 and 1999. We found wolves passed directly through a pasture containing cattle on 28% of the nights of tracking; 58% and 95% of the wolf locations were 1 km and 5 km from a pasture, respectively. Space use of wolves showed that while they visited livestock pastures during the 24-hour tracking sessions, they apparently were passing through these pastures with cattle and not preying on livestock. When compared to random simulations of movements, wolves appeared to encounter livestock pastures randomly. Thirty percent of random movements passed directly through a pasture; 65% and 95% of random movements were within 1 km and 5 km of a pasture, respectively. Wolves were more active at night than during the day. Wolves avoided pastures during the day and visited pastures at night when depredations were most likely (i.e., human presence was low). Visitation of livestock pastures was not related to any discernible characteristics of the pastures (i.e., pasture size, cattle density, distance to human habitation, percent forest cover, index of deer abundance). However, pastures in which livestock were killed by wolves contained more cattle than pastures without depredations, but in 1998 only. While the risk of wolf predation on livestock was potentially high (wolves were within 1 km of a pasture on 58% of nights), few livestock were actually killed. During the 3-year study, only 8 animals (all young or vulnerable livestock) were depredated by wolves. Maintaining healthy wild prey populations, removing offending wolves that kill livestock, and encouraging effective and proper husbandry practices (e.g., disposal of carcasses) among livestock producers, should allow for the persistence of wolves in northwestern Minnesota, USA, while minimizing their impact to farmers in this agriculture-wildland matrix.

Wolves, Canis lupus, routinely live in large packs that include unrelated individuals and mature offspring. Studies show that individual wolves that live in large packs suffer reduced foraging returns. Therefore, group hunting and group living (sociality) in wolves is generally thought to be favoured by indirect fitness gains accrued through kin-directed altruism. However, we show that kin-directed altruism cannot account for groups that include mature offspring or unrelated individuals. We also present an analysis that incorporates a previously ignored feature of wolf foraging ecology, namely the loss of food to scavenging ravens, Corvus corax. By accounting for this process, we show that individuals in large packs do indeed accrue foraging advantages. In the hypothetical absence of this scavenging pressure, an individual would maximize its rate of prey acquisition, and minimize its risk of energetic shortfall, by foraging with just one other individual. However, incorporating the effect of scavenging by ravens leads to a dramatic increase in the predicted group size. Our analysis indicates that per capita gains are highest in the largest observed packs. The greater food-sharing costs in a larger pack are more than offset by smaller losses to scavengers and increased rates of prey acquisition. Thus, in contrast with previous interpretations, the selfish benefits of social foraging appear to contribute to the maintenance of sociality in wolves after all. We explore whether such benefits favour group living in various social carnivores that hunt large prey and are thus vulnerable to scavenging.

We compare and contrast the evolution of human attitudes toward large carnivores between Europe and North America. In general, persecution of large carnivores began much earlier in Europe than North America. Likewise, conservation programs directed at restoration and recovery appeared in European history well before they did in North America. Together, the pattern suggests there has been an evolution in how humans perceive large predators. Our early ancestors were physically vulnerable to large carnivores and developed corresponding attitudes of respect, avoidance, and acceptance. As civilization evolved and man developed weapons, the balance shifted. Early civilizations, in particular those with pastoral ways, attempted to eliminate large carnivores as threats to life and property. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) and wolves (Canis lupus) were consequently extirpated from much of their range in Europe and in North America south of Canada. Efforts to protect brown bears began in the late 1880s in some European countries and population reintroductions and augmentations are ongoing. They are less controversial than in North America. On the other hand, there are no wolf introductions, as has occurred in North America, and Europeans have a more negative attitude towards wolves. Control of predators to enhance ungulate harvest varies. In Western Europe, landowners own the hunting rights to ungulates. In the formerly communistic Eastern European countries and North America, hunting rights are held in common, although this is changing in some Eastern European countries. Wolf control to increase harvests of moose (Alces alces) occurs in parts of North America and Russia; bear control for similar reasons only occurs in parts of North America. Surprisingly, bears and wolves are not controlled to increase ungulates where private landowners have the hunting rights in Europe, although wolves were originally exterminated from these areas. Both the inability of scientific research to adequately predict the effect of predator control on ungulate populations and a shift in public attitudes toward large carnivores have resulted in an accelerating number of challenges to predator management in places where it is still espoused. Utilitarian attitudes towards wildlife are declining in Western cultures and people now increasingly recognize the intrinsic value of wildlife, including large predators. In the future, agencies responsible for managing resident wildlife will face increased pressure to balance the needs of the hunting public with the desires of non-hunting publics. We suggest that in the next century we will witness a continued shift in how wildlife agencies manage both moose and large carnivores. More attention will be paid to maintaining and restoring intact ecosystems and less toward sustainable yield of meat.

The dangerosity of wolves for human beings is a staple of old tales such as Little Red Riding Hood or Tom Thumbs.  Is it a historical reality, though?  And if yes, what was the impact on our ancestors?  The perception of the wolf, long very negative in Europe, has become much more positive lately, in a framework of publicly stated worries about biodiversity.  Since the wolf was reintroduced in the Alps in 1992, this reversal of perspective has led to deep rift of public opinion, and increased the tensions between actors of pasture territories ans managers of the environment.  In this debate, often quite passionate, some question the reality of wolf attacks, the reason for the classifying of this predator as the worst of all « pests » for centuries on end.  It is particularly the case of the most negatively seen of all wolf aggressions in the European cultural heritage, that of a wolf held to be a « man eater ».
To delineate more precisely what is at stake and within which limits when this highly sensitive is concerned, we need to find answers to many questions.  Which actual testimonies can we use to assess wolf attacks, and to what extent are they reliable?  How can we distinguish between attacks by « anthropophagous » animals and attacks by rabid wolves?  Can we discern chronological evolutions in these attacks, and which were the most acute periods?  What geographical dispersion can we trace, and what information can we derive therefrom?  How were the aggressors identified, and culturally perceived?  What was the demographic and sociological impact of these attacks?  In a word, what was the actual risk the wolf represented for human beings in France, and can this risk explain the « fear of the wolf » still observable in the mentalities?
To answer these questions, this work uses testimonies and printed sources from over five centuries of observation, from the Hundred Years War to the First World War, and relies on a statistical dataset comprising over 3 000 death certificates dated from 1420 to 1918.
No historical synthesis so far had achieved this width of inquiry, covering the whole French territory.  The book presents the results of 5 years of research for 85 French départements.  Still the work is far from over : the conclusion calls for a wider focus, and more study on other aspects of the relationship between human beings and wolves.  Indeed, beyond the explanation given to a fact which tends to be forgotten today, this study sheds light primarily on the spatial organization of human activity, much more than on the biological evolution of this species.  The wolf reveals social choices, and is a marker of the way our environment is managed.  The story of the « big bad wolf » prompts the historian to communicate his results to the wider public, and reveals the place left by human beings to what is wild in their universe.

The effect of human activities on animal populations is widely debated, particularly since a recent decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior to ban snowmobiles from national parks. Immunoassays of fecal glucocorticoid levels provide a sensitive and noninvasive method of measuring the physiological stress responses of wildlife to disturbances. We tested for associations between snowmobile activity and glucocorticoid levels in an elk ( Cervus elaphus ) population in Yellowstone National Park and wolf ( Canis lupus ) populations in Yellowstone, Voyageurs, and Isle Royale national parks. For wolves, comparisons among populations and years showed that fecal glucocorticoid levels were higher in areas and times of heavy snowmobile use. For elk, day-to-day variation in fecal glucocorticoid levels paralleled variation in the number of snowmobiles after we controlled for the effects of weather and age. Also for elk, glucocorticoid concentrations were higher in response to snowmobiles than to wheeled vehicles after we controlled for the effects of age, weather, and number of vehicles. Despite these stress responses, there was no evidence that current levels of snowmobile activity are affecting the population dynamics of either species in these locations.

We conducted a 3-year study (May 2003-Apr 2006) of mortality of northern Yellowstone elk (Cervus elaphus) calves to determine the cause for the recruitment decline (i.e., 33 calves to 13 calves/100 adult F) following the restoration of wolves (Canis lupus). We captured, fit with radiotransmitters, and evaluated blood characteristics and disease antibody seroprevalence in 151 calves 6 days old (68M:83F). Concentrations (x, SE) of potential condition indicators were as follows: thyroxine (T4; 13.8 lg/dL, 0.43), serum urea nitrogen (SUN; 17.4 mg/dL, 0.57), c-glutamyltransferase (GGT; 66.4 IU/L, 4.36), gamma globulins (GG; 1.5 g/dL, 0.07), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1; 253.6 ng/mL, 9.59). Seroprevalences were as follows: brucellosis (Brucella abortus; 3%), bovine-respiratory syncytial virus (3%), bovine-viral-diarrhea virus type 1 (25%), infectious-bovine rhinotracheitis (58%), and bovine parainfluenza-3 (32%). Serum urea nitrogen, GGT, GG, and IGF-1 varied with year; T4, SUN, and GG varied with age (P 0.01); and SUN varied by capture area (P ¼ 0.02). Annual survival was 0.22 (SE¼0.035, n¼149) and varied by calving area but not year. Neonates captured in the Stephens Creek/Mammoth area of Yellowstone National Park, USA, had annual survival rates .33 higher (0.54) than those captured in the Lamar Valley area (0.17), likely due to the higher predator density in Lamar Valley. Summer survival (20 weeks after radiotagging) was 0.29 (SE ¼ 0.05, n ¼ 116), and calving area, absolute deviation from median birth date, and GG were important predictors of summer survival. Survival during winter (Nov-Apr) was 0.90 (SE ¼ 0.05, n ¼ 42), and it did not vary by calving area or year. Sixty-nine percent (n ¼ 104) of calves died within the first year of life, 24% (n ¼ 36) survived their first year, and 7% (n ¼ 11) had unknown fates. Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and black bears (Ursus americanus) accounted for 58-60% (n ¼ 60-62) of deaths, and wolves accounted for 14-17% (n ¼ 15-18). Summer predation (95% of summer deaths) increased, and winter malnutrition (0% of winter deaths) decreased, compared with a similar study during 1987-1990 (72% and 58%, respectively). Physiological factors (e.g., low levels of GG) may predispose calves to predation. Also, the increase in bear numbers since wolf restoration and spatial components finer than the northern range should be considered when trying to determine the causes of the northern Yellowstone elk decline. This is the first study to document the predation impacts from reintroduced wolves on elk calf mortality in an ecosystem already containing established populations of 4 other major predators (i.e., grizzly and black bears, cougars [Puma concolor], and coyotes [Canis latrans]). The results are relevant to resource managers of the Yellowstone ecosystem in understanding the dynamics of the elk population, in providing harvest quota recommendations for local elk hunts to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service regarding wolf and grizzly bear recovery, and to all areas worldwide where predators are increasing, by providing managers with information about potential carnivore impacts on elk populations. (WILDLIFE MONOGRAPHS 169:1-30

Prior studies have documented the domestic dog’s (Canis lupus familiaris) sensitivity to human attentional state, including a tendency to preferentially beg for food from attentive individuals and an ability to selectively perform forbidden behaviors when humans are not looking. Due to the success of dogs on perspective-taking tasks, some have hypothesized that domestic dogs may have theory of mind, or the ability to infer what other individuals know. Here we provide the first evidence that nondomesticated canids, grey wolves (Canis lupus), are also sensitive to human attentional state under some conditions. We also demonstrate that dogs do not display an undifferentiated sensitivity to all visual cues of attentional state. Rather, dogs are more sensitive to stimuli encountered in their home environment. Some dogs perform poorly on perspective-taking tasks. These findings have important implications for the interpretation of research designed to understand complex social cognition across species.

Eighteen STR loci and one sex determination locus present in the Finnzymes Canine 2.1 STR Multiplex Reagent Kit were screened in the UK dog population providing allele frequencies and population genetic parameters necessary for the application of STRs to forensic genetic casework. A total of 375 dogs were genotyped, including representative samples from each of twelve breeds used to evaluate Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and calculate inter-population pairwise FST values. Three loci were excluded from calculations of average random match probability due to deviations from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium or ambiguous genotyping. Random match probability based on fifteen STR loci and one sex locus was subsequently estimated to be 2.8 × 10−17 for unrelated individuals across breeds.

We determined the food habits of the endangered Indian wolf Canis lupus pallipes in the Bhal region of Gujarat, western India by analyzing 1246 wolf scats from five packs by estimating prey availability and by monitoring radio-tagged wolves from three packs for 1994 hour. The frequency of occurrence of blackbuck Antelope cervicapra remains in scats was 55.5%, followed by cattle (25.7%), nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus (6.3%); and as others ( < 5%). The frequency of food items in scats of different wolf packs reflected their relative availability. For cattle the distinction between scavenging and predation was only possible through continuous monitoring. The average feeding interval obtained from monitoring was 3.6 AE 0.7 (S.E.) days and the average consumption/ wolf/day was 1.8 AE 0.3 (S.E.) Kg. Adult male blackbuck formed most (70%) of the biomass consumed by wolves whereas cattle carcasses and cattle actually killed by wolves contributed 14 and 8%, respectively. Predation on cattle therefore was low and translated in an estimated loss of Rs. 821 (US$ 17) per village per annum. We propose that landscapes such as the Bhal with high wolf densities, high natural prey availability and consequently low human-wolf conflict levels should be prioritized as prime sites for wolf conservation efforts. #

© Centrum pre štúdium kresťanstva. Všetky práva vyhradené. Pri citovaní prosíme dodržať autorské práva jednotlivých autorov a uvádzať zdrojovú publikáciu. ZBORNÍK Z KONFERENCIE POHANSTVO A KRESŤANSTVO, BANSKÁ BYSTRICA 2003 Vlk v stredovekej ľudovej kultúre na Slovensku Pavol Maliniak -Bohdan Ulašin MALINIAK, Pavol -ULAŠIN, Bohdan: Wolf in the Medieval Culture in Slovakia. In: Pohanstvo a kresťanstvo. Bratislava: Chronos, 2004, p. 235-246. Wolf used to embody various, often antagonistic values. What they have in common is the respect to this animal, often connected with the feeling of danger. Practising the protective habits and various rituals preserved also in the Christian setting is rooted in the distant past. It streams from the spiritual life in which wolf used to have an irreplaceable position. The contrast between the Slavonic and the Christian wolf appears when comparing the sources reflecting the struggle between the surviving folk culture and the ingoing spiritual stream. Several examples of these relations represent only a fragment from the ideas of the people living in past.