All wolves are not skilled hunters

On the day of getting his collar on May  2019 wolf  V080 was healthy and well nourished.

By the Team of the Animal of the Year,

Estonian text posted 07.12.2019

 

The life of wolves is not easy. As big predators they often hunt prey that is 5-10 times their own size: deer, elks, in certain areas also bisons. Even when there is plenty of prey in nature catching them is complicated and dangerous for a wolf. Starvation is in addition to injuries received during hunting and on being hunted by humans one of the largest death causes for wolves

 

 

A wolf that lived  in USA, in the VoyageurNational Park, whom researchers gave the sign V080 is an example of the fact  that not all wolves are skilled hunters. The story of V080 also reminds us of the importance of the presence of a flock for a wolf. V080 was a year-old youth. In their first year of life wolf cubs are mainly dependent on their parents for procuring food. When the cubs become a year old however, and the parents have a new litter on whose feeding to concentrate, a difficult period arrives for the cubs from the previous year. In spring and summer the wolf pack does not travel very closely together  because the female wolf will be stationary for long periods with the new cubs. It means that the cubs from the previous year must quickly learn to kill deer calves, beavers and other prey animals on their own. As in the case of a human youth starting an independent life it does not always come easily  to a young wolf. V080 was one of those.

On May 13th 2019 researchers put a GPS collar on the wolf V080. The wolf seemed to be in an excellent physical condition. A few months later, on August 9th, the collar sent a signal that pointed to the death of the wolf. Going to investigate the scientists discovered that V080 had lost more than13 kilos in weight in 78 days and had died from starvation.

During the time that V080 had been collared the researchers observed his hunting conduct carefully. The wolf killed during that time 5 deer calves, one beaver and one medium-sized bird of unknown species.  Researchers calculated that V080 killed 54 kilos of prey animals. It means that he used about 0.69 kilos of food per day which however is 72% less than required for a wolf of his size. To maintain his springtime body weight V080 should have eaten 2.45 kilos per day.

Compared to the other cubs in the litter V080 was not skilled in catching prey. He often undertook long trips away from the home pack’s nesting ground without catching any prey. In his last days he tried to ease his hunger by eating crayfish species at the Kabetogama lake banks and by digging in refuse heaps of people but this is far from sufficient for a wolf.

When even while living in a pack danger of starvation looms in certain periods we may imagine how complicated getting food is for wolves that have no pack. Or even worse – for a half-year old cub that already in their first winter during the wolves’ hunting season is left without parents. Wolves. like humans, are very different. Some manage heroically even in the most difficult circumstances, some go on the misdemeanours misdeeds  path, some however perish.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/VoyageursWolfProject/posts/504365067055514

 

Laura Kiiroja

 

Sildid