Overview
- Motion-triggered cameras set after damaged traps recorded a female coastal wolf swimming to a buoy, towing the line, beaching the trap, and eating the bait.
- The footage was captured on May 29, 2024 in Haíɫzaqv/Heiltsuk territory on British Columbia’s central coast, with findings published in November 2025 in Ecology and Evolution.
- The traps belong to the Heiltsuk Nation, which set them to curb invasive European green crabs that threaten eelgrass and local shellfish resources.
- Study authors Kyle Artelle and Paul Paquet say the sequential, goal-directed behavior may constitute tool use, a view challenged by experts who apply stricter criteria.
- Researchers also documented a separate clip of a wolf attempting a similar line pull and plan continued monitoring to assess how widespread the behavior is.