Wolf Study May Help Ranchers Avoid Livestock Losses

Previous thinking about wolves was that they were aggressive hunters, just as willing to take risks alone as with a pack. This research finds that wolves are actually risk-averse, hanging back to see if another wolf will engage in the more dangerous aspects of hunting first, when hunting in a pack.

It was previously thought that hunting in packs made wolves more successful due to their competitive nature, but this research found that hunting success only increases up to a group size of four and it levels off after that. The researchers hope these findings can be used to help manage conflicts between wolves and livestock animals.