Exploring the Mysterious Lives of Wolves

Camilla Fox, the director of Larkspur's Project Coyote, recently sponsored two author talks by Canadian scientists and wolf specialists at the Marin Humane Society in Novato and Book Passage in Corte Madera. Paul Paquet, of Canada's Raincoast Conservation, and Marco Musiani, a professor at the University of Calgary, who have studied the behavior of wolves for more than twenty years on the coast of British Columbian, Banff National Park, and the Saskatchewan prairie, have just published "A New Era for Wolves and People: Wolf Recovery, Human Attitudes and Policy" now out in paperback from University of Calgary Press. 

Maybe it was the stunning photographs of wolves in the wild. Perhaps it was a relief some good news about wild creatures somewhere in North America. Or it could be the great increase in coyote sightings occurring throughout Marin's hills and hiking trials. For all these reasons, the audiences were overflowing at both locations, peppering the researchers with questions about all things canis lupus.

Wolves, exterminated by hunters in Southern Canada (and elsewhere), are growing in number and returning to their longtime breeding grounds. Through satellite collars and radio telemetry, the researchers have found Canadian wolves in Yellowstone, Idaho and the eastern side of Oregon. "Wolves have wanderlust," said Musiani. "They are curious and like to travel. It is not uncommon for them to cover 60 kilometers with their pups in a single night."

"Wolves do everything dogs do," said Paquet. "Except that dogs have been bred to amplify one single trait, say, the running speed of a greyhound or the tracking instinct of a pointer. Wolves retain all these traits and use them for survival."

"Wolves, coyotes, and dogs behave in similar ways, can interbreed with each other, and face similar issues," Musiani told the crowd.

"Except that wolves and coyotes are unfairly persecuted," said Paquet. To put it in perspective, he explained that in the past hundred years, only three incidents in which wolves have killed people have been documented. However, since 1950, hunters have killed five thousand people, and that's not counting the injuries or accidents." 

But when it comes to domesticating and owning a wolf, these scientists don't buy it. "It took 5,000 years to domesticate and create dogs," said Musiani. "The best you can do is tame a wolf and even then, it will always be unpredictable. And really, how is this helping wolves in the wild?"

Many in the audience seemed knowledgeable about wolves. They asked: How big was the average wolf pack? (Between 7 to 10 wolves on average but can grow as large as 35 temporarily to hunt large prey such as bison); Who is the better hunter? (Females); Do they mate for life (Like humans, some do, some don't). But the most telling questions had to do with human fears of wolves and coyotes.

While wolves are carnivores and the top-line predator of North America, "I've never been frightened of wolves in the wild," said Musiani. "In enclosures, yes. But in the wild, they will do all they can to stay away from humans."

The same is true for coyotes. "We have no reason to fear them," said Paquet. They are omnivores who eat rodents, rabbits, deer, insects, and fruits. Those who own small pets have more to fear from automobiles than from coyotes. "The key is always not to feed these wild animals. Don't let them get habituated to approaching people and houses. Let them do the good work of keeping the numbers of rats and raccoons  down."

The Difference Between Wolves and Coyotes

One audience member told of seeing three coyotes on a recent hiking trip on North San Pedro Mountain. "How do I know they aren't wolves," she asked. "They sure looked like that to me."

First off, there are no wolves in California—yet, Paquet explained. While they've been sighted on the eastern side of Oregon, it will take an estimated 10 years before they recolonize their one-time homes in California.

"Coyotes are much smaller than wolves—about 25 pounds or so, like a small dog," said Paquet. "If you can't tell the size from a distance, look at the tail. On coyotes it goes straight down to the ground. Also, they have a finer, more narrow body."

Marin residents are more likely to see coyotes this season because they are guarding and nurturing their pups, most of whom were born in April. "They establish two home sites," explained Paquet," With a den and a rendezvous site." If you hear coyotes or see them, they are probably communicating with their mates or protecting their pups.

"The pups are not old enough to travel with their parents yet," said Paquet. "When they're four months old, in September, they will start to travel with their mothers and learn to hunt."

As always, the key to coexisting with coyotes is to not feed them and keep your own backyard clean of garbage and easily accessed food. 

Population control

Killing coyotes is the least effective way to reduce their numbers. Why? As Fox of Larkspur's Project Coyote explains (and as Paquet and Musiani concur), coyotes live in packs where only the alpha male and female mate and reproduce. "The same is true in wolf packs," said Musiani. "Even when mating does occur, the alpha female creates such a stressful environment that they do not carry the pups to term." Thus, even in large coyote or wolf packs, the other females are behaviorally sterile. When the animals are killed (or the population is "culled") the collapse of social control and hierarchies in the decimated pack compels surviving coyotes to mate. 

"We see 500,000 coyotes killed annually in the United States, and 90,000 killed by government agencies alone," said Paquet. "And there is no change in population numbers. In fact, often there is a spike upwards."

To learn more facts about how to live humanely and effectively with coyotes, visit www.projectcoyote.org.