Overview
- Researchers used cameras to track 185 individually identified wolves at 44 sites in central Italy, recording reactions to novel objects and human voices.
- Roughly 81% of wolves initially reacted fearfully to human voices, then showed rapid habituation with repeated exposure.
- Wolves from more urbanized areas were less wary of unfamiliar objects at first yet became particularly vigilant when those objects changed.
- Group-living wolves were less shy around human-linked stimuli than solitary animals, indicating a strong social effect.
- The study, led by Sarah Marshall-Pescini and published in PNAS, concludes that learning and sociability help wolves exploit human-dominated areas, complicating stable deterrent design.