Wolf urine could protect Swiss livestock

Analysing wolf urine could help protect sheep in future Keystone-SDA

Wolf urine could be used as a scent barrier to protect livestock from attack, according to Swiss researchers.

Urine gives wolves provides important information about potential intruders. Alpha wolves with pups are particularly alert to this, as a study by the University of Neuchâtel shows.

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The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) announced on Tuesday that the study’s findings represent a first step towards understanding what attracts and repels wolves.

For the study, researchers observed 13 wolves in five packs at four Swiss wildlife parks. Between April and June 2024, they placed odour stations containing wolf urine outside the enclosures. They used human urine for comparison.

The animals approached the stations, sniffed at them and, in some cases, left their own urine or faecal markings. This behaviour occurred around 13 times more frequently with wolf urine than with human urine.

The alpha wolves reacted particularly strongly. They visited the scent stations about twice as often as subordinate pack members. Researchers believe that wolves defending a territory, a mate and cubs have more to lose from intruders.

Social status crucial

One case from the study also shows that wolves interpret scent signals differently depending on their social status. A young female, as a low-ranking animal, initially showed hardly any reaction to wolf urine.

After becoming the alpha in another pack, her reaction was significantly stronger. The results were published in the journal Frontiers in Ethology.

The researchers now want to decipher in more detail what information is contained in the urine. To this end, samples from known animals are to be analysed biochemically.

This idea of so-called “biofences” is not new, but has never been thoroughly investigated. It will take years of further research before a reliable tool is available for use in the field.

Translated from German, sub-edited by mga