Video: Why Dogs Aren’t Wolves Part 1 - Predatory Behavior
Amazing video footage of a pack of wolves working as a team to hunt a moose calf in the Denali National Park and Perserve in Alaska. Warning! Video content is not meant for all eyes.
As you watch, you may notice that some of the wolves have radio collars. That’s because the park has been collecting GPS data since 1986 (National Park Service, 2009) to determine wolf territories, ranges, pack size, etc. Make no mistake, these are not captive wolves as there is a huge difference between captive and wild wolf packs (more on that later…).
To date, the National Park Service reports that there are 12 to 18 wolf packs in the Denali park, each consisting of the breeding male and female and their offspring. Each pack’s territory ranges from 200 to 800 miles. After pups are born, the pack can hunt day and night sometimes traveling ten hours a day to find sustenance.
I don’t know about your dogs but my shih tzu has no predatory behavior what so ever. Really! I think he’d starve before looking at a critter in that way. My sheltie has been known to chase squirrels, geese, sheep, and deer but gives up once the prey is out of sight. Truth be told, I don’t think she sees them as food. She just likes to chase things!
I have heard of dogs working together to take down prey but I doubt it is anything like what you see in the video. This is just another example of how domestication has watered down any wolf-like characteristics that may have once existed in dogs. And thank goodness for that! I’m exhausted trying to meet the needs of my dogs. Imagine what a wolf or wolf-hybrid would require! No way, not interested.
References
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Report (2009). Vital Signs Monitoring of Wolf (Canis lupus) Distribution and Abundance in Denali National Park and Preserve, Central Alaska Network. Natural Resource Program Center
U.S. Department of the Interior Report. Park Wise: Your Alaska National Parks eClassroom
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