Human Decision-Making as a Key Factor in the Risk of Wolf–Dog Interactions during Outdoor Activities
As a result of species protection in Poland, wolves now appear in places that are attractive for human recreation, increasing their exposure to dogs. This creates a risk of spontaneous direct interactions between these two canine species. Aggressive interactions between the gray wolf and the domesti...
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2021
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092497 |
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2076-2615/11/9/2497/ 2023-08-20T04:05:48+02:00 Human Decision-Making as a Key Factor in the Risk of Wolf–Dog Interactions during Outdoor Activities Andżelika Haidt Radosław Gawryś Maciej Szewczyk agris 2021-08-25 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092497 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Ecology and Conservation https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11092497 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Animals; Volume 11; Issue 9; Pages: 2497 Canis lupus domestic dog human wildlife conflict interspecies interactions behavioral ecology Text 2021 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092497 2023-08-01T02:31:29Z As a result of species protection in Poland, wolves now appear in places that are attractive for human recreation, increasing their exposure to dogs. This creates a risk of spontaneous direct interactions between these two canine species. Aggressive interactions between the gray wolf and the domestic dog lead to human–large predator conflicts. This study examined wolf–dog interactions using data collected in an online questionnaire and included questions related to factors that might influence the likelihood of interactions between these canines. One of the most important factors affecting the likelihood of interaction between a dog and a wolf was the distance between the dog and the human. The number of wolves was also important—the more wolves, the more likely they were to interact with dogs. The risk of interaction also significantly increases with decreasing distance to human settlements. There were also statistical differences in terms of the type of outdoor activity being engaged in. Hunting was seven times more likely to result in a wolf–dog interaction than normal walk. We postulate that the choices made by the human (dog control and type of recreation) caring for the dog are an important factor that can reduce the risk of direct contact between dogs and wolves. Text Canis lupus gray wolf MDPI Open Access Publishing Animals 11 9 2497 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
op_collection_id |
ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
Canis lupus domestic dog human wildlife conflict interspecies interactions behavioral ecology |
spellingShingle |
Canis lupus domestic dog human wildlife conflict interspecies interactions behavioral ecology Andżelika Haidt Radosław Gawryś Maciej Szewczyk Human Decision-Making as a Key Factor in the Risk of Wolf–Dog Interactions during Outdoor Activities |
topic_facet |
Canis lupus domestic dog human wildlife conflict interspecies interactions behavioral ecology |
description |
As a result of species protection in Poland, wolves now appear in places that are attractive for human recreation, increasing their exposure to dogs. This creates a risk of spontaneous direct interactions between these two canine species. Aggressive interactions between the gray wolf and the domestic dog lead to human–large predator conflicts. This study examined wolf–dog interactions using data collected in an online questionnaire and included questions related to factors that might influence the likelihood of interactions between these canines. One of the most important factors affecting the likelihood of interaction between a dog and a wolf was the distance between the dog and the human. The number of wolves was also important—the more wolves, the more likely they were to interact with dogs. The risk of interaction also significantly increases with decreasing distance to human settlements. There were also statistical differences in terms of the type of outdoor activity being engaged in. Hunting was seven times more likely to result in a wolf–dog interaction than normal walk. We postulate that the choices made by the human (dog control and type of recreation) caring for the dog are an important factor that can reduce the risk of direct contact between dogs and wolves. |
format |
Text |
author |
Andżelika Haidt Radosław Gawryś Maciej Szewczyk |
author_facet |
Andżelika Haidt Radosław Gawryś Maciej Szewczyk |
author_sort |
Andżelika Haidt |
title |
Human Decision-Making as a Key Factor in the Risk of Wolf–Dog Interactions during Outdoor Activities |
title_short |
Human Decision-Making as a Key Factor in the Risk of Wolf–Dog Interactions during Outdoor Activities |
title_full |
Human Decision-Making as a Key Factor in the Risk of Wolf–Dog Interactions during Outdoor Activities |
title_fullStr |
Human Decision-Making as a Key Factor in the Risk of Wolf–Dog Interactions during Outdoor Activities |
title_full_unstemmed |
Human Decision-Making as a Key Factor in the Risk of Wolf–Dog Interactions during Outdoor Activities |
title_sort |
human decision-making as a key factor in the risk of wolf–dog interactions during outdoor activities |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092497 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
op_source |
Animals; Volume 11; Issue 9; Pages: 2497 |
op_relation |
Ecology and Conservation https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11092497 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092497 |
container_title |
Animals |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
9 |
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2497 |
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1774716534980083712 |