Questions
& Answers about Raised By Wolves, Inc.
What
is Raised By Wolves?
Raised
By Wolves (RBW) is a USDA licensed non-profit research
center dedicated to the scientific study of wolves and wolf-hybrids. Our research is ongoing,
interdisciplinary, and, both qualitative and quantitative. Our research
director, Dr. CJ Rogers, holds a double-doctorate degree in psychology and
behavioral ecology. She has nearly
25 years of experience as a professional psychologist, and over a decade of
experience as a wolf ethologist. With the help of the
devoted RBW volunteer staff, the RBW research is contributing important and
original knowledge to the field.
The
RBW research center is not a zoo or a laboratory – it is a home for 18 wolves
& wolf-hybrids (as well as our research director). There are currently six enclosures at
RBW, and the animals live in self-determined, self-organized packs or pairs. We
make every effort to provide them with an environment that simulates their
natural wild habitat. The animals are not subjected to experiments; we do not
give them tests. There is no aspect of the research that is invasive or
manipulative. In no way do we attempt to tame, train, or control the
wolves/wolf-hybrids that live here.
They have the freedom to "be themselves." We want to see the natural
behavior of the animals as individuals and as a pack(s), so we strive to
preserve the integrity of their society and life style. The prime directive of
RBW research is non-interference.
Although they live in captivity, the RBW
animals experience a balance of excitement and peace. They enjoy the stillness of a long sunny
afternoon, and delight in winter snowstorms. They are equally pleased to be aroused
by the resident warren of rabbits as well as the meanderings of local flocks of
sheep, herds of cows, horses, goats, roaming dogs, and coyotes in the nearby
canyons. All this drama keeps those
carnivore instincts active, interested in and interactive with their
environment. There is an abundance
of bird life here, too, and occasionally the wolves will successfully hunt
them. Rodents, frogs, and an
assortment of lizards are also stalked and hunted within the enclosures.
The RBW animals are challenged by
external stimulation, and they also stimulate each other. There is daily
vigorous play, socializing, exchanges of affection, "fence-fighting,” and
also in-pack fighting. They
regularly enjoy the pleasure of chomping real meat and bones – during hunting
season it is wild game, such as elk and deer, off-season,
cow.
All the enclosures have sweeping views
of the valley and the high hills that surround us. Each enclosure has a unique den-area
arrangement, with a variety of structures that serve as shelters, lookout
perches, escape pods, playground equipment, and home-base. We are always trying to raise funds to
enhance their habitat and increase the size of their territory. We are quickly outgrowing our five
acres.
Gandalf
& Karma
Embryo
Galapagos
Here at RBW, wolves and wolf-hybrids are
pretty much all we think about. The
packs that live here are always center stage. They dictate daily routines, bestow and desire an abundance of love, affection,
surprises, comedy, drama, and they supply a rich musical soundtrack to our
lives.
By living with the research packs,
immersed in daily, nightly observation and documentation of pack dynamics, Dr.
Rogers has developed an intense but non-intrusive intimacy with the animals that
allows a unique insight into their true nature and needs.
The on-going adventure of living and
working at RBW has led to some exciting and unexpected discoveries about the
secret life of wolves.
Pandora and Dr. CJ Rogers
Pandora
giving Dr. Rogers a kiss.
What
is the RBW Research About?
The
research at RBW is designed to increase and improve our understanding of the
true nature and needs of wolves and wolf-hybrids. We are studying a
comprehensive range of both the ethology (behavior)
and cognition (intelligence and psychology) of these intriguing animals.
The on-going RBW research is designed to
be a long-term study of the lives of the wolves and the life of the packs, to
closely observe and document the pack dynamics and relationships between pack
members over the course of their life spans. Unlike dogs, who are neotenic,
wolves/wolf-hybrids mature, moving through developmental stages, changing as
they age. A life-long study will
provide valuable data on their maturation process, developmental stages, and
also the life expectancy of wolves/wolf-hybrids living in a healthy captive
environment.
One aspect of the RBW research
highlights and explores a very basic but complex dimension of pack dynamics:
relationships. A pack is a weave and a web of connections. Each individual has a distinct
association and way of relating to each other individual, one to one, and within
the pack as a whole. These associations are always subject to
change.
Are these relationships
based on pack hierarchy, pack size, personalities, chemistry, common interests,
play preferences? What influences and determines the
formation and development of these relationships? What "nature/nurture"
variables are involved? These are some of the questions the RBW research
addresses.
The life processes and life-style of the
wolves/wolf-hybrids is what we watch, what we want to learn about. The humans around RBW are very much a
part of pack life. The research being carried out at RBW involves direct
interaction with the animals in a respectful, mindful way. When we enter their
enclosures we are in their world.
Our on-going first-hand experiences with these animals teach us more
about the nature of the relationship between humans and wolves.
We endeavor to learn more about the
complexities of their communication and social structure, the nature of pack
consciousness and the pack as a social organism, their roles as pack members and
as individuals, the influence of personality and other variables on pack
position, the scope of their intelligence and cognition, the depth and
expression of their emotions and inner lives, the intensity and sensitivity of
their bonds and relationships, the importance of play, the use of territory.
And often they teach us about aspects of
their lives that we never anticipated, never imagined.
Highlights
of the RBW Research
·
A
New Model for Pack Dynamics
Since
its incorporation in 1996, the RBW research has discovered groundbreaking
evidence that packs operate as a complex system. Systematic observation revealed
that the dynamics of the hierarchical organization of the pack is best
represented, explained, and described by the non-linear complexity model. Dr. Rogers’ 1999 paper “Analyzing Wolf/Wolf-hybrid Pack Dynamics as
a Complex System” is the first scientific merger of wolf ethology and complexity theory. (This paper is available to those
interested in knowing more about this topic).
Evidence indicates that the
organizational dynamics of the RBW research packs represents the natural
processes of how pack hierarchies develop, and that the variable of captivity
would not be the best explanation for why the patterns of organization did not
fit the existing model. A better
explanation is that the standard model is not based on sufficient, up-to-date
research. The traditional vertical
ladder “pecking order” model comes from a study of captive zoo wolves conducted
by Rudolph Schenkel in the 1930’s – 1940’s. This model has never been challenged
until now.
·
Quantitative
study on Aggression Events
Using an 8 point formula, RBW
has been documenting “Aggression Events” since 1996. To date, no linear pattern of aggression
is discernable, and statistical analysis designed to detect evidence indicating
that chaos theory may be applicable is being explored. This quantitative aspect
of the RBW research involves innovative processing of gathered data on
aggressive behavior, the correlation of aggression with pack organization, and
the search for chaotic systems underlying the seemingly random patterns of
aggression events in pack dynamics.
As far as we know, RBW is the only research being done exploring this
highly original theory.
·
RBW
is currently the only place in the
What we have learned is that when
wolf-hybrids have the freedom to behave naturally, their behavior is essentially
the same as wolf behavior: the ethology of wolf-hybrids is wolf-like as opposed
to dog-like.
·
Dr.
Rogers’ research on the importance of play in the healthy development of wolves
was a featured segment in a 2000 PBS special titled The Promise of
Play.
What
is the point, the purpose of the Raised By Wolves
research?
The RBW research is what scientists call
"pure research." Pure research is
studying something because we want to learn; we want to know. Pure research can,
if necessary (which it almost always is) be put in the context of applied
research - research that has a particular usefulness, almost always a usefulness
that somehow benefits humans. So,
we are forced to pose the question: How can learning about wolves be useful to
people. The very question embodies
a problem: human beings have become a species dangerously egocentric – dangerous
to the human species but, more importantly, dangerous to all life on earth. If the ecosystem, essential to life on
earth, is to be preserved, humans must learn to understand, respect, and care
about all life on earth. There is no working whole without all of the
parts.
One way to acquire an eco-consciousness
is to become friends with the various earth life forms. Often, individuals are predisposed to
connect more easily and intimately with a particular species. This species is, of course,
intrinsically linked with other species and the environment. Following this line of reasoning, if
enough people care about the well being of wolves, they will also have to care
about the environment in which wolves live, the environment in which they
must live. This
means that it is necessary not only to preserve and protect wild places and wild
species, but also to understand their nature and their needs. Securing the well being of our wolf
friends assures the well being of their habitat which secures the survival of
all the creatures and life forms of that habitat. This is, of course, good for the
ecosystem. A functioning, healthy ecosystem is what makes human life
possible.
The
knowledge we have acquired can be actively applied in a variety of ways:
·
The research
could have a significant impact on how we approach wolf recovery, potentially
contributing to policy-making concerning such programs as the reintroduction of
wolves and adding much needed insight into what is called “wolf
management”.
Reintroduction
programs, which try to re-instate wolves back into their natural wild habitat,
can benefit from data which increases our understanding of how packs live, grow,
bond, and function. Understanding both the universal qualities of wolf culture
and the unique features of individuals and packs is crucial to the decisions
being made by humans about wolves. (For
those interested in more details on this subject, Dr. Rogers’ article Essential Wolves is available upon
request).
·
As wolves
return to their place in the ecosystem, certain populations of people are
profoundly impacted by the presence of wolves. These populations would greatly
benefit from the scientific knowledge our findings offer.
·
The
quantitative aspect of the RBW research provides significant numerical data for
statistical analysis; if chaotic systems are found in the study of aggression,
it will be a major breakthrough in our understanding of aggressive
behavior.
·
RBW is
currently the only research center engaged in a long-term scientific study of
wolf-hybrids. These animals, a
variation of Canis lupus, are growing in numbers, and
creating much controversy in many communities. The information about these animals that
RBW can provide offers scientific guidance and possible solutions based on years
of research.
What we are learning from the RBW
research could have a positive influence on the lives of wolves/wolf-hybrids in
captivity, and could help improve the chances of wolves in the wild to not only
survive, but thrive.
Will
the animals at RBW be reintroduced to the wild?
No.
Where
did the RBW animals come from?
None of our
wolves were taken from the wild.
Eight of our RBW animals were born right here at RBW. The other members of the RBW family were
adopted or rescued under varying circumstances. (For
more on this see our booklet “The
Research at RBW: Introducing a New Model of Pack Dynamics and the RBW Canis Lupus Community”).
