The National Park Service is moving wolves to Isle Royale in Lake Superior to replenish a small pack on the island. Wolves prey on moose, which are overgrazing the island. It doesn’t hurt that they are charismatic.
As omnivores, dogs should be able to adapt well and manage on well prepared commercially available vegetarian diets as long as the essential nutrients they would normally get from meat are present.
An attack on a WA mine worker has highlighted the danger of wild dingoes, particularly when attracted by humans’ food - one of the factors that can make an attack by wild predators much more likely.
Tracking wild animals can provide lots of valuable data. New research suggests audio recordings of wild wolves can replace the typical radio collars, which can be expensive and intrusive.
When humans have conflicts with wildlife, the first reaction is often to cull them. But there’s little evidence to show that it works, and removing predators can even backfire and make things worse.
Some recent bad behaviour has been explained as being alpha but the scientist who coined the phrase discredits that theory. Instead, Prof. Sosteric suggests alphas are raised on toxic socialization.
Legislation designed to protect wildlife is being rolled back or ignored in all sorts of ways in all sorts of places, according to a new global database of attacks on green tape.
Curator of Cenozoic Palaeontology, Research and Exhibitions, Iziko Museums of South Africa; Honorary Research associate Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town