Does the Wolf (Canis lupus) Exhibit Human Habituation Behaviours after Rehabilitation and Release into the Wild? A Case Report from Central Italy

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The rehabilitation of injured or sick wolves is a practice that is undertaken until it is clinically possible to release the animals back into the wild. However, the knowledge of how movement patterns and habitat selection are eventually affected by habituation to persons after a period of veterinary isolation, treatment and non-agonistic experience with humans is scarce. We describe the behaviour of a radio-collared female wolf released into the wild after a rehabilitation period of 11 days. The wolf travelled about the same distances as wild conspecifics, showing movement patterns and circadian rhythms complementary to those adopted by humans. No signal of behavioural distortions due to human habituation were recorded. This case study aims to stimulate further research and a call for widespread data sharing at national and international scales. ABSTRACT: The knowledge of how wolves’ movement patterns and habitat selection are affected by habituation to persons after a period of veterinary isolation, treatment and non-agonistic experience with humans is scarce. Unnatural behaviours could be transferred by imitation to members of the pack and to subsequent generations, increasing direct interaction risks. We used GPS data from a rescued radio-collared female wolf after an 11-day rehabilitation to estimate home range, movement patterns, circadian rhythms, and habitat selection, searching for signals of eventual behavioural distortions. In the period 1 August–26 November 2013, 870 valid locations were acquired. The wolf moved within a minimum convex polygon (95%) of 6541.1 ha (79% wooded), avoiding anthropized areas. Nocturnal and diurnal displacements were significantly different (p < 0.01). Nocturnal displacements were 4409.4 ± 617.5 m during summer and 3684.8 ± 468.1 m during autumn, without differences between seasons. Diurnal movements were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the summer (2239.0 ± 329.0 m) than in the autumn (595.9 ± 110.3 m), when the hunting season was running. As for a wild wolf, clear complementarity concerning human activities was recorded and no habituation signals were detected, but this is only a first case study that aims to be a stimulus for further research and a call for widespread data sharing.