wolves — Stories from the cafe — Manuela Hoelterhoff

Nov 24

Nov 24 Another Idiot Behaves Badly in Yellowstone Park

We’ve covered this kind of behavior before: moronic tourists getting too close to wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. This time it was a man armed with pepper spray walking directly into a pack of wolves. Wildlife photographer Keith Allen Kerbs captured the incident (from a safe distance, using a 500-mm zoom lens) and posted a video on Instagram. The clip shows the man walking toward at least five wolves as he waves his arms. The wolves approach him and quickly back away as he wields the pepper spray.

Nov 28

Nov 28 Parasite Alters the Brains of Wolves, Humans

Manuela Hoelterhoff

Animals, Nature

We’ve known for some time that the Toxoplasma gondii parasite can infect the brains of rodents, forcing them via mind control into fatal encounters with predators. Now scientists have observed that wolves infected with T. gondii are also altering their behavior, in their case by taking more risks.

Aug 21

Aug 21 Scientists Send Wolves & Beavers to the Rescue

Manuela Hoelterhoff

Conservation, Animal Welfare

Scientists from Oregon State University have a (really) big idea. What if we dedicated nearly half a million square kilometers across 11 states to gray wolves and North American beavers? In a paper published in the journal BioScience, the researchers outline a plan to use portions of federal lands to create a contiguous network of wolf and beaver habitats. The plan is about two species, but the knock-on effects would positively affect perhaps hundreds of others.

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