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In a Scientific First, Biologists Recorded a Wild Wolf Potentially Using Tools | News Channel 3-12

A coastal wolf in British Columbia used a crab trap line to access bait, marking possibly the first documented tool use in wild canids, researchers reported.

  • On Nov. 17, researchers reported footage showing a female wild wolf on the central coast of British Columbia swim to retrieve a floating buoy tied to a submerged crab trap, captured within a day of camera deployment by camera traps.
  • Guardians, who monitor local marine stewardship, began deploying motion-triggered cameras after repeatedly finding crab traps damaged during the Heiltsuk Nation stewardship program to eradicate invasive European green crabs.
  • Video shows the wolf grab the buoy's line, pull until a trap emerged, break open a bait canister with herring, and later investigate bait cups from two traps ashore.
  • Authors suggest this may be the first wild-canid tool-use case, but scientists debate rope-pulling exclusion and Bradley Smith argues object modification or orientation is required.
  • Given local conditions where wolves face less hunting pressure, researchers will explore whether the behaviour spreads culturally, with Artelle saying, `We realized this was important on the first watching.
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The Canadian wolf pulled a crab trap out of the water to get the bait.

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NeozOne broke the news in on Tuesday, November 25, 2025.
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