• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Monday, September 29, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Biology

Wolf-dog ‘swarms’ threaten Europe’s wolves

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
May 23, 2019
in Biology
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Credit: LIPU Oasi Castel di Guido, Rome

“Swarms” of wolf-dog crossbreeds could drive Europe’s wolves out of existence, according to the lead author of new research.

Such hybridisation – driven by human activities that destroy habitats and mean wolves encounter more and more free-roaming dogs – threatens the “genetic identity” of wolves.

The study compares the views of more than 40 scientists and warns that a lack of engagement and agreement could hamper efforts to tackle wolf-dog hybridisation.

The findings suggest most scientists agree on the nature of the problem, but are divided on how to deal with it.

“We need to address this issue before wolf-dog hybrids backcross with wolves to the extent that wolf populations will be lost to hybrid swarms, and the conservation of wild populations will become unfeasible,” said lead author Valerio Donfrancesco, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

“In this paper, we argue that scientific agreement is crucial to encourage decision-makers to act, and to raise awareness about this conservation issue in society at large.

“The fact that we know so little about the ecology, behaviour and social acceptance of the wolf-dog hybrids adds a layer of concern to the issue.”

The study, which allowed scientists to share their views anonymously, revealed agreement that people should be educated about the impact of free-roaming dogs, and that governments should remove wolf-dog hybrids from small and recovering wild wolf populations.

But scientists were divided on issues such as how to remove hybrids and free-roaming dogs, and whether they should be kept captive, sterilised and released or killed.

Donfrancesco said: “The disagreements emerged from diverging ethical values between scientists of different backgrounds, such as ecologists and geneticists, from the lack of data on the effectiveness of different interventions, and from the worry of some scientists that on practical grounds allowing the removal of hybrids would open a legal loophole for the killing of wolves.”

Co-author Paolo Ciucci, of the Sapienza University of Rome, said: “The management of hybrids and wolf-dog hybridisation should not be a taboo topic, especially within the scientific community.

“There are margins to develop further consensus among scientists if further research addresses topical issues such as the effectiveness and the feasibility of control measures and their social acceptability.

“Scientists should not avoid the problem just because its management appears overly complex.”

Co-author Dr Nibedita Mukherjee, from the University of Exeter, added: “We hope that by highlighting areas of disagreement and why they occur, we will be able to build a more unified scientific opinion, and aid an effective management of this urgent issue.”

An estimated 17,000 wolves live in Europe, in populations of varying sizes in countries as far apart as Spain, Greece and Finland.

The paper, published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, is entitled: “Unravelling the scientific debate on how to address wolf-dog hybridization in Europe.”

###

Media Contact
Alex Morrison
[email protected]

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00175

Tags: BiodiversityBiologyDevelopmental/Reproductive BiologyEcology/EnvironmentEvolutionGenesGeneticsPopulation BiologyZoology/Veterinary Science
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Genomic Study Uncovers Resilience of Coral-Killing Sponge

Genomic Study Uncovers Resilience of Coral-Killing Sponge

September 29, 2025

Effective Treatment of Verrucous Granuloma in Captive Elephants

September 29, 2025

Orogeny Fuels Spider Family Diversification in Asia

September 28, 2025

Unveiling Cacna1e Splice Variants’ Functional Diversity

September 28, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    85 shares
    Share 34 Tweet 21
  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    73 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • Scientists Discover and Synthesize Active Compound in Magic Mushrooms Again

    56 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • How Donor Human Milk Storage Impacts Gut Health in Preemies

    55 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Genomic Study Uncovers Resilience of Coral-Killing Sponge

Closing the Prevention Gap: Funding and Research Shifts

Effective Treatment of Verrucous Granuloma in Captive Elephants

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 63 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.