Did This Wild Wolf Really Use a Tool?
up for debate: something that has not been decided and people have different opinions about
A wild wolf was recently caught on camera using human tools to catch fish. In the waters off Canada’s west coast, members of an Indigenous community, had set crab traps containing fish as bait. But when the people returned, some traps were badly damaged.
At first, people thought bears were responsible because the traps were in deep water. A team of scientists set up cameras to investigate. Just one day later, the cameras recorded something no one expected. A female wolf dove into the water to grab the fishing float attached to the underwater trap. She then swam to the shore and pulled the rope again and again until the trap came to the surface. After that, she tore the trap open and ate the fish inside.
It was the first time anyone had seen a wild wolf do something like this. However, whether we should call this action tool use is up for debate. One scientist said the wolf was not responsible for tying the rope to the trap. He said this makes it “string-pulling,” not tool use. The wolf might have just learned this through simple trial and error. Still, the researchers said the wolf showed a “sophisticated understanding” of how the float, rope, and trap were connected.
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Video shows a wild wolf stealing fish in possible first use of a tool