Overview
- The peer-reviewed paper in Ecology and Evolution documents video evidence of wolves manipulating human fishing gear to obtain food.
- Footage from May 2024 shows a female wolf swimming to a buoy, dragging it ashore, hauling in the trap via the line, and chewing through netting to access the bait.
- Additional video from February 2025 records another wolf pulling in a line to retrieve a partially submerged trap, indicating the behavior occurred more than once.
- The investigation began after Haíɫzaqv Nation guardians found repeatedly damaged traps set for invasive European green crabs, which led researchers to install remote cameras.
- Study authors and outside experts say the efficient, sequential actions suggest intent and learning, though views differ on whether this constitutes tool use, and researchers caution it is unclear how widespread the behavior is.