Wolf pups can play 'Fetch' like dogs without being taught the game

The scientists in a ground-breaking discovery have proved dog-like social-communicative behaviour in thirteen 8-week-old wolf pups by playing the game of ‘Fetch’ with them. Christina Hansen Wheat and Hans Temrin, biologists at Stockholm University reportedly put to test 13 wolf puppies from three different litters to fetch a ball which was instructed by a stranger, and much to their astonishment, the wolf pups complied. The pups as per the records have been kept without prior domestication or human interaction. 

Dr Hansen Wheat released the video of the experiment on Twitter where a wolf pup named ‘Sting’ is seen pacing to retrieve a ball thrown by a stranger. The behaviour of this third wolf pup snuck up on the researchers since previously the first two litters had shown no desirable responses to fetch the ball shattering the researchers’ expectations. 

This unique behavioural pattern of faithfulness and dependability is commonly not expected in wolves, suggest the scientists. However, according to reports some standing variations might have possibly altered the phenotype in these giant ancestral species that may have led these wolf pups to interpret the human social communication cues. 

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Wolf pup’s behaviour “unexpected”

Christina Hansen Wheat of Stockholm University reportedly described the third wolf pup’s behaviour as “unexpected”. According to sources, the experiment rendered the scientists speechless as the person that was appointed to hurl the ball across the room was a stranger the pup does not know and without the benefit of any prior experience or training, he could encourage a wolf pup to fetch the ball. 

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The study which was reportedly published on Thursday in the journal iScience confirms responsiveness of this nature in untrained wolves. Dr Hansen Wheat, Stockholm University, Sweden told the media that nobody has conducted the play behaviour test in the wolves before. While dogs are selectively bred in the human environment and taught to obey the commands like retrieving an object, their ancestor wolves do not have to undergo training to respond to human encouragement. It is this trait that has evolved the dogs to be the man’s loyal friend. 

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