WSC RESEARCH

Your research at the Wolf Science Center

We offer scientists all over the world the unique opportunity to do a wide range of research on dogs and wolves who were raised under similar conditions. If you are interested in working with us, you can contact us at testing@wolfscience.at and arrange an appointment for a first online meeting which is free of charge.

In the following, you find some information about our animals and the scientific framework at the Wolf Science Center. A brief description of the Core Facility Wolf Science Center (CF-WSC) can also be found in the research infrastructure database of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research: https://forschungsinfrastruktur.bmbwf.gv.at/en/fi/wolf-science-center_5325

Origins

We mainly keep North American Grey Wolves as they are less shy compared to their European relatives. Our wolves were born in different zoos and game parks all over the world (Canada, USA, Russia, Austria, Switzerland). Our dogs are medium-sized mongrels who originally come from Hungarian animal shelters. We make sure that we only take 2-3 animals from one litter to guarantee genetic diversity in our wolf and dog population. Under “Our animals” you can learn more about the different individuals.

Raising and keeping

All our animals are hand-raised and socialized with humans from an age of approximately 10 days on. The raising procedure takes five months in total. Afterwards, the young animals are integrated into adult packs. We experienced that in the long term small groups of 2-3 animals work best. Accordingly, most of our animals live together in pairs. All wolves and dogs at the Wolf Science Center are hormonally intact. However, the male individuals are vasectomized to avoid uncontrolled reproduction. The animals are vaccinated and dewormed on a regular basis and they have optimal medical care.

Training

All animals learn certain basic commands from an early age on. These facilitate scientific collaboration. Our wolves and dogs are used to wear a collar and walk on a lead, they can be held on the collar for a short while, they have experience with various scientific apparatuses and can use a special touch screen. Moreover, it is possible to collect saliva, hair, urine and fecal samples. We only work with positive reinforcement and on a voluntary basis. This guarantees a relaxed working atmosphere in which our wolves and dogs can develop their full potential. By using a clicker, we can also train them new behavior if this is needed for a certain test.

Scientific procedure

In a first online meeting which is free of charge, you can talk to our scientific coordinators about your planned project. If we agree on a cooperation, they also support you with the further work steps and with written applications if needed. Your study is then conducted by our scientifically qualified animal trainers under your supervision.