WOLF PACK - Together but not always !

Since the beginning of our study, we've been able to gather a great deal of data, in various forms, enabling us to carry out an in-depth analysis. Nevertheless, even though we now have a much clearer picture of how the Arsene's pack operates, we have also gone through phases where our ideas, thoughts and even certainties have been swept aside and put in their rightful place. Nature, living being and especially wolves teach us that nothing we take for granted or think is clear-cut really is. They teach us one very important thing : humility ! And they do this by forcing us to question ourselves, to constantly evaluate all the data in depth, to adapt ourselves and by forbidding us to consider anything as immutable, fixed in time. What's more, alongside our fieldwork, which we'll call the “practical part”, reading hundreds of studies & books, attending various conferences and frequent exchanges with specialists from all over the world are an integral part of our work, as the “theoretical part”. Yes, theory and practice are inseparable, complementary and necessary for understanding !

Since 2022, we have been able to observe, as have our American colleagues, that between June and September, the majority of our camera traps recorded only one individual. This is a situation that is now recognized by many studies, i.e. that a pack uses its numbers differently, not always hunting together, quite the contrary. We all have in mind the collaboration and organization of a pack, thinking of the advantages it offers over solitary individuals, quite logically. However, it's also clear that at this time of year (summer), there's a crucial element that changes the game and needs to be taken into account. It may seem logical to us, but not necessarily to everyone : the rapid & intense growth of the cubs. As a result, the pack now hunts almost continuously, day and night. This is also why the cubs are left in the famous “meeting place”, as they are currently unable to keep up with the pack and must limit their efforts, just like the dog puppies, in order to preserve their bone and joint growth, among other things. They are left alone or sometimes under the supervision of a sub-adult, when numbers allow.

Contrary to received ideas, beliefs (or even certainties), the pack can decide to hunt separately at this time, or each individual can set off in a possibly opposite direction. The breeding couple may decide to stay together, and the sub-adult(s) then follow a different trail, in a different part of the territory, even to the limits and beyond. The distances covered are also quite impressive : a wolf can cover 50 km in one night. The goal of this solo hunt is, after all, quite logical : if each wolf returns with a prey item (part of which is swallowed, then regurgitated and part in the mouth), this maximizes the quantity of food brought back to the cubs and improves their chances of survival ! During the summer, the cubs have enormous post-weaning food requirements, in line with their impressive natural growth between the ages of 2 and 4-5 months. This is why camera traps often show only one wolf during the summer period !

As you can see, a pack is EVOLUTIVE ! It organizes and adapts itself according to the periods of its biological year, the migration of its prey, the individuals making up the pack (changes, births, deaths, etc.), possible human pressures (tourism), neighboring packs - the factors are numerous. But solo hunting is well known, applied either, as you've just seen, to increase the food supply for cubs, or to enable sub-adults to experience life on their own, through exploratory excursions. Observations in the field show that sub-adults sometimes feed on prey killed for their own benefit, without bringing back any food.

So let us be clear : just because one wolf is spotted on one slope and another at the other end of the territory at the same time does not necessarily mean that there are more wolves, or even packs ! If wolves without genetic parentage to the targeted packs were shot this winter, it's mainly because :

1. Territories and their boundaries are not always well understood and interpreted by the authorities.

2. Shooting perimeters do not take buffer zones into account. They should only concern the center of the home range when the regulation of a pack is requested.

3. Winter is a period of dispersal, with some cubs of the year and sub-adults leaving the pack and potentially entering buffer zones or even other pack territories.

4. The disturbances caused by shooting in December (especially the death of a member of the breeding pair) make it easier for dispersers to integrate quickly.
 

If you really want to have a clearer idea of the territories, buffer zones and perimeters to be avoided, DNA sampling is an extremely valuable ally ! With the identification of pack members, whether during attacks or through the collection of clues in the territory, we have access to data enabling a much better overall understanding. Unfortunately, this information is not always available from droppings/carcasses or, as in the case of the Hauts-Forts pack (Valais), has not been available since July 2022, which is worrying for the field monitoring carried out on this pack ! Without DNA or in-depth analysis of all the data, it becomes extremely complicated to understand how a pack functions, how it is organized, how it manages its territory, and so on. And this leads, quite logically and unfortunately, to misinterpretation of territories or buffer zones, places where it is totally inadvisable to carry out control shooting.

It should also be pointed out that a wolf approaching a herd one night will not necessarily be the same one a few hours later, the next day or the following week ! It is another fact ignored or misunderstood by official bodies and some of our politicians ! Any decision to shoot adult wolves on pack territory between June and August, or even worse, to arm shepherds to shoot wolves approaching their herds, will have highly damaging consequences, notably through pack break-ups, even greater pressure and a probable increase in damage. Indeed, losing a member of the breeding couple at this sensitive time, for example in a newly-formed pack, will lead the remaining individual to have to hunt 10x more intensively, choosing more fragile and accessible prey, i.e. livestock. An upsurge in attacks on herds is to be expected ! This far-fetched idea from a UDC politician, published in the newspaper "Blick" on August 14, 2024, once again stems from a total ignorance of wolf functioning and science, and is 100% populist. Not only is it counterproductive for breeders, it is also counterproductive for the protection of the Canis lupus species at regional level, itself provided for in the LChP but also in the Bern Convention, two laws that must be respected, regardless of canton/state ! This type of shooting, already carried out in France for many years, has not led to a drastic drop in attacks on herds, as the figures on the official DREAL website testify. It's about time some of our politicians stopped basing their decisions on their personal opinions or their need to please majorities in order to win votes, and started, quite sincerely, reading studies and books. It's quite worrying if this type of reasoning and procedure is applied to any other subject on which they have to take a stand...

We would also like to talk about another very important and still misunderstood point : NO, the cubs are not moved from one valley to the next, from one week to the next (and back), between June and August ! It is vital that the authorities understand this point, which has been misinterpreted in the recent past and has had highly contentious consequences.

The cubs are in the den from birth until the beginning of July, when they are moved to a place "Rendez-vous point" that remains, in most of our regions, THE SAME until they start their hunting training with the pack (end of September/beginning of October). If cubs are seen in two valleys a few hours/days apart in summer, it's very likely that they come from two DIFFERENT packs !

The reason why a pack might, in rare cases, move cubs (especially over a greater distance) remains natural factors or human pressure ! Sometimes, the chosen location of the "rendez-vous point" is the result of a poor choice on the part of the pack, especially in highly anthropized areas. Like us, animals don't always, or even all, make the right decisions. But this can also be due to unforeseen changes, such as weather conditions (floods, landslides, natural hazards), forestry work (logging) or frequent disturbance by hikers, wildlife photographers or hunters, as autumn approaches, for example. For the safety of the cubs, the pack will then move them to another location, at night. But between July and August, the cubs will never go back and forth between several locations, nor will they be constantly on the move !

These two points - solitary hunting (whether a form of collaborative hunt or from exploratory excursions) and cub management - are eminently important and need to be understood. Errors resulting from over-hasty interpretation, not based on examination and analysis of all the data collected, or lack of knowledge of how wolves/packs function, are particularly damaging. And so, logically, are the possible consequences.

In fact, the LChP provides for the shooting of cubs in the first instance following major attacks which exceed authorized quotas. And this is to avoid shooting “adult” individuals, with the high percentage of error that this would entail between June and the end of August, a key period for cubs. We'll come back to this subject shortly, but with the understanding you now have, you'll easily understand what's at stake, and above all the disastrous consequences that could result from shooting adult wolves in summer pastures or by people who aren't fully trained (i.e. not just a 2-3 hour module, obviously no longer compulsory in Valais for the next proactive regulation period...) and inexperienced people as shepherds ! We would like to point out that most of these shots are carried out at night, the wolves' preferred hunting time, and that even with the latest thermal imaging equipment, it is practically impossible to differentiate between individuals other than through their behaviour, which requires the entire pack to be present. Depending on the situation, only lupine specialists or people and people with in-depth ethology training are in a position to recognize/differentiate between individuals. Shooting a lone wolf in the vicinity of a herd could therefore lead to the death of a member of the breeding couple, at a key time, which runs completely counter to current international law, as well as common sense (a quality that's disappearing).

We therefore hope that the data collected and the explanations provided here will enable a better understanding of how wolf packs operate, particularly during the highly sensitive period of cubs birth and upbringing.

Dictionary

LChP : Swiss law on Hunting and Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds 

Ethologie : Scientific study of the behavior of animal species, including humans, in their natural environment or in an experimental environment, using scientific methods for observing and quantifying animal behavior.
 

Photo : Fabien Bruggmann