This research Agenda Summarizes the most important research conducted for my Scicomm Story on Wolves and their cognitive abilities.

Scicomm Article Research Studies

Cordoni, G., & Palagi, E. (2019). Back to the Future: A Glance Over Wolf Social Behavior to Understand Dog-Human Relationship. Animals : An Open Access Journal from MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9110991

A glance over wolf social behavior to understand dog-human relationships, published in 2019, is a research report led by Giada Cordoni who researches animal sociobiology. This article belongs to the Special Issue Dog Behavior, Physiology and Welfare. To conduct their research, they analyzed a wolf pack at the Pistoia Zoo, this pack lacked an ‘alpha female’, which made them a disrupted family. This allowed them to study if wolves are really like humans and if they need leaders. They found that they in fact do and can even allow bystanders to come into their pack with minimal aggression towards them, despite the fact that they lack a dominant figure to teach them exactly how to act. A group of wolves moves as a unique entity, with each subject relying on others’ support to gain benefits and increase survival and fitness. This article analyzes wolfs social behaviors, while the others analyze attachment and cooperation, all these factors play into the development of any animal.

Lenkei, R., Újváry, D., Bakos, V., & Faragó, T. (2020). Adult, intensively socialized wolves show features of attachment behavior to their handler. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-74325-0

Adult, intensively socialized wolves show features of attachment behavior to their handler, published in 2020 at scientific reports, is a research report led by Rita Lenkei, who is a biologist that specifically studies canines. To conduct their research, they decided to analyze how a wolf would react to being taken away from its handler. They tested N = 11 gray wolves and N = 9 family. The groups of wolves and dogs were tested using handlers and unfamiliar personas, their reaction to these people leaving was taken into note and used to create a conclusion on wolves ability to show attachment behaviors. It was found that like dogs, wolves react negatively to being taken away from their handler, confirming that wolves like dogs form social bonds with humans and can form attachments. These results provide empirical evidence that adult, intensively socialized wolves show similar behaviors than dogs during the separation from their handler. The ability to form individualized heterospecific bonds during adulthood is present in the common ancestor of the wolf and the dog.

Range, F., Marshall-Pescini, S., Kratz, C., & Virányi, Z. (2019). Wolves lead and dogs follow, but they both cooperate with humans. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40468-y

Wolves lead and dogs follow, but they both cooperate with humans, published in 2019 at scientific reports, is a research report led by Friederike Range, who is a behavioral scientist. 15 grey wolves (11 males, 4 females, age: 2 to 8 years) and 12 mixed-breed dogs (7 males, 5 females, age: 2 to 7 years) housed at the Wolf Science Center (WSC) in Ernstbrunn, Austria, participated in loose-string experiments together with a human partner. They were tested to see if they could complete different tasks with or without their partner. It was found that dogs and wolves do not differ in their ability to successfully cooperate with a familiar human partner, however wolves are more likely to try and accept the leader position while dogs allow the humans to be the leader. This proves that wolves are capable of forming attachments with humans and can cooperate alongside them. Wolves, like dogs, are extremely intelligent animals that work together with each other for optimal strength. We are able to conclude that their cognitive abilities and leader-like tendencies allow them to be wonderful companions not only within their species, but also for other animals, like us, humans.

This research agenda summarizes the issues going on in wolf communities and why you should care, and what you can do. Advocacy Project

The Problem

Howell, M. (2022, February 7). U.S. treatment of wolves is brutal, often illegal, and bitterly partisan. Fix. U.S. treatment of wolves is brutal, often illegal, and bitterly partisan | Fix (grist.org)

‘U.S. treatment of wolves is brutal, often illegal, and bitterly partisan’ is an article that focuses on exactly what wolves are going through right now and how we can help. It is written by Maggie Howell, the executive director of the Wolf Conservation Center. Howell explains how wolves are being slaughtered due to policies being lifted. Wolves have become politicized, and this is an extremely prevalent issue because now their lives are in the hands of congressmen who only care about their own gain. Our government ignores scientific facts and chooses to make decisions that put our earth in danger.

Ausband, D. E., & Mech, L. D. (2023). The challenges of success: Future wolf conservation and management in the United States. BioScience. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad053

The scholarly article; ‘The challenges of success: Future wolf conservation and management in the United States’, is an article that focuses on the scientific and social challenges of wolf conservation. This article is written by David E. Ausband and L. David Mech, they are both scientists that survey at wildlife research centers and have graduated from US universities. Ausband and Mech predict colonization and dispersal dynamics of wolves, study their reducing hybridization and disease transmission, and research how deterring wolf–livestock conflicts is affecting our planet. This article hopes to educate humans on the issues wolves are currently facing and advocate for their current and future conservation.

Morell, V. (2022, Jan 31) Massive wolf kill disrupts long-running study of Yellowstone park packs. Science Insider. Massive wolf kill disrupts long-running study of Yellowstone park packs | Science | AAAS

‘Massive wolf kill disrupts long-running study of Yellowstone park packs’, is an article about the killing of more than 500 wolves in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming in recent months. This article is written by Virginia Morell, an American science writer. She has contributed to National geographic and Science, among other publications. She specializes in animal behavior, cognition and conservation. This article explains how wolves were once protected over federal laws, but now, state rules allow a person to kill up to 20 wolves each season. These killing will alter the social structure of wolves and lead them closer to extinction.

The Solution

Crooks, K. R., Gonzalez, M. N., & Ghasemi, B. (April, 2020). Scientist perspectives toward the status and management of gray wolves in the western United States. Conservation Science and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12728

‘Scientist perspectives toward the status and management of gray wolves in the western United States’, written by Kevin R. Crooks, Mireille N. Gonzalez, Benjamin Ghasemi, is an article about scientists' knowledgeable insights on how conservation of wolves can take place. The authors are a part of the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. To write this scholarly article, the authors reached out to well-known scientists with publications about wolves. About 2 thirds of the scientists that they spoke to are in support of relisting wolves on the ESA. The conservation of wolves has been taken out of scientist's hands. The point of this article is to give them a voice and explain to the readers what actions are actually best for our planet and the wellbeing of the animals within our ecosystems.

Licht, D. S., Millspaugh, J. J., Kunkel, K. E., Kochanny, C. O., & Peterson, R. O. (2010). Using Small Populations of Wolves for Ecosystem Restoration and Stewardship. BioScience. https://doi.org/10.1525/bio.2010.60.2.9

‘Using Small Populations of Wolves for Ecosystem Restoration and Stewardship.’ is an article written by Daniel S. Licht, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Kyran E. Kunkel, Christopher O. Kochanny, Rolf O. Peterson. These authors have degrees in wildlife science, direct conservation acts, and have graduated from some of the top schools in the US. In this article, they propose a ‘different’ paradigm for wolf conservation. Most emphasize wolf recovery, while their paradigm emphasizes ecosystem recovery. This article focuses on: “Improvements in technology, an enhanced understanding of the ecological role of wolves, lessons from other countries, and changing public attitudes provide a new context and opportunity for wolf conservation and ecosystem restoration.” This article hopes to educate humans on how they can best help wolves and the ecosystem they live within. They hope to help restore small populations of wolves, in relatively small areas, so that they do not over-populate or begin to populate in too large of numbers (overpopulation of wolves in areas is why humans are so okay killing them!). The authors understand that they have big wants, but they also are very confident that their knowledge and morals have led them to create an understanding of the best solutions for wolf conservation.

Boyce, M. S. (2018). Wolves for Yellowstone: dynamics in time and space. Journal of Mammalogy. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyy115

‘Wolves for Yellowstone: dynamics in time and space.’, is an article by Mark S. Boyce, who is a part of the department of biological sciences and a professor of ecology. Boyce describes how complex wolf conservation in Yellowstone Park is. Yellowstone and other national parks act as ecological baseline reserves for animals. Yellowstone is home to the gray wolf. The parks were made to protect these wolves. Within this Article, Boyce reflects on his research on the Yellowstone ecosystem which he began in 1977 and brings in reflection from other colleagues and students. This article is written so that readers can obtain a summary of wolf conversation over the years and understand why reserves like Yellowstone are so vital for animal conservation.