Can wolves bond with people like dogs do?
In the late 1970s, archaeologists made a stunning find in northern Israel. In a 12,000-year-old village, where families buried loved ones under their homes, they uncovered the remains of a woman and a young dog, her hand resting on the puppy’s chest.
The find is some of the earliest evidence of the bond between humans and our canine pals, perhaps the most powerful emotional connection between species in the animal kingdom. But even after years of study researchers are divided on how this bond began. Did it arise over thousands of years, as early dogs became tamer and more attuned to human behaviors? Or was this fire already burning in the ancestors of dogs: the gray wolf?
A new study of young wolves suggests they are indeed capable of making doglike attachments to people. Under some circumstances, they might even view humans as a source of comfort and protection.
The findings add support to the idea that wolves may harbor some traits once thought exclusive to dogs, says Monique Udell, a human-animal interaction researcher at Oregon State University, Corvallis, who was not involved with the work. But other experts say the study was not well designed and therefore is not convincing.
