In order to better study the relationships between humans, wolves, and dogs, researchers have trained wolves to run on a treadmill.Austria's Wolf Science Center, which sounds like a very cool place to work, says the treadmill is designed to simulate going on a hunt. The wolves have been raised by humans from puppyhood, and were first trained to touch a target with their nose for a reward. Eventually, the target was moved to the still treadmill, and the speed was then increased in stages. Now the wolves jump on the moving treadmill unprompted.
The next stage of the experiment is to put wolves and similarly-trained dogs on the treadmill together, to see if the simulated cooperation makes them more inclined to share food. As team leader Kurt Kotrschal tells Scientific American, "Wolves are social hunters, and we expect a great willingness to cooperate in wolves, but less so in dogs. Additionally, we want to expand this work to wolf-dog and wolf-human dyads." The next stage of research is set to begin this winter.If you find yourself in Austria, you can actually schedule a visit to the center, which isn't far from Vienna. But unfortunately, you can't pet the wolves.Why are we handraising our wolves and dogs? http://t.co/8EWE6z8mQK Photo: Christian Mikes pic.twitter.com/uya3htp1Wd
— Wolf Science Center (@WolfScience) October 7, 2015