Last but not beast: the fall of the Alpine wolves told by historical DNA
The sociopolitical acceptance necessary for the conservation of controversial species requires scientific knowledge that disentangles empirical facts from myth and misinformation. An epitome of such, the gray wolf (Canis lupus) had been eradicated from most of Western Europe by the early twentieth c...
Published in: | Mammal Research |
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Online Access: | https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_3A0DB6EDD6A9 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-019-00426-5 |
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ftunivlausanne:oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_3A0DB6EDD6A9 2024-02-11T10:02:45+01:00 Last but not beast: the fall of the Alpine wolves told by historical DNA Dufresnes, C. Miquel, C. Taberlet, P. Fumagalli, L. 2019-03-25 https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_3A0DB6EDD6A9 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-019-00426-5 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1007/s13364-019-00426-5 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/2199-2401 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/2199-241X https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_3A0DB6EDD6A9 doi:10.1007/s13364-019-00426-5 Mammal Research, vol. 64, pp. 595-600 Animal Science and Zoology Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 2019 ftunivlausanne https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-019-00426-5 2024-01-22T01:12:57Z The sociopolitical acceptance necessary for the conservation of controversial species requires scientific knowledge that disentangles empirical facts from myth and misinformation. An epitome of such, the gray wolf (Canis lupus) had been eradicated from most of Western Europe by the early twentieth century. However, a few mysteriously re-appeared in the Alps throughout the twentieth century, leading to systematic hunts encouraged by popular folklore and massive waves of panic. These historical events are reminiscent of the hostile context now surrounding the recolonization of the wolf across former ranges. Through historical DNA sequencing of five rare museum specimens shot post-WWII, we tell the true story of these mystery beasts. The oldest ones (1947–1954) were just the very last survivors of an endemic, extremely resilient wolf population, thought to be extinct decades earlier, while recent ones (1978–1990) most likely originated from captivity. This parable reminds that today more than ever, scientific evidence is necessary to conduct an objective societal debate over the management and conservation of controversial species. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus gray wolf Université de Lausanne (UNIL): Serval - Serveur académique lausannois Mammal Research 64 4 595 600 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Université de Lausanne (UNIL): Serval - Serveur académique lausannois |
op_collection_id |
ftunivlausanne |
language |
English |
topic |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics |
spellingShingle |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Dufresnes, C. Miquel, C. Taberlet, P. Fumagalli, L. Last but not beast: the fall of the Alpine wolves told by historical DNA |
topic_facet |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics |
description |
The sociopolitical acceptance necessary for the conservation of controversial species requires scientific knowledge that disentangles empirical facts from myth and misinformation. An epitome of such, the gray wolf (Canis lupus) had been eradicated from most of Western Europe by the early twentieth century. However, a few mysteriously re-appeared in the Alps throughout the twentieth century, leading to systematic hunts encouraged by popular folklore and massive waves of panic. These historical events are reminiscent of the hostile context now surrounding the recolonization of the wolf across former ranges. Through historical DNA sequencing of five rare museum specimens shot post-WWII, we tell the true story of these mystery beasts. The oldest ones (1947–1954) were just the very last survivors of an endemic, extremely resilient wolf population, thought to be extinct decades earlier, while recent ones (1978–1990) most likely originated from captivity. This parable reminds that today more than ever, scientific evidence is necessary to conduct an objective societal debate over the management and conservation of controversial species. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Dufresnes, C. Miquel, C. Taberlet, P. Fumagalli, L. |
author_facet |
Dufresnes, C. Miquel, C. Taberlet, P. Fumagalli, L. |
author_sort |
Dufresnes, C. |
title |
Last but not beast: the fall of the Alpine wolves told by historical DNA |
title_short |
Last but not beast: the fall of the Alpine wolves told by historical DNA |
title_full |
Last but not beast: the fall of the Alpine wolves told by historical DNA |
title_fullStr |
Last but not beast: the fall of the Alpine wolves told by historical DNA |
title_full_unstemmed |
Last but not beast: the fall of the Alpine wolves told by historical DNA |
title_sort |
last but not beast: the fall of the alpine wolves told by historical dna |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_3A0DB6EDD6A9 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-019-00426-5 |
genre |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
op_source |
Mammal Research, vol. 64, pp. 595-600 |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1007/s13364-019-00426-5 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/2199-2401 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/2199-241X https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_3A0DB6EDD6A9 doi:10.1007/s13364-019-00426-5 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-019-00426-5 |
container_title |
Mammal Research |
container_volume |
64 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
595 |
op_container_end_page |
600 |
_version_ |
1790598810094796800 |