#20,5

Today I have had a writing day, #20,5 this Autumn, mainly devoted to a co-written article with Martin Drenthen work-titled "Understanding persistent erroneous beliefs about wolf behaviour in light of ideas about animal agency", with some 700 words written and a disposition outlined.

Planning of two wolf-themed articles

Today I took part in a Skype call with a colleague (should have been two) to plan for two belated wolf-themed articles we are co-writing based on video material from Wolf Park and our own field work with video-recorded interviews in Norway.

”Fear not! Socialization of captive wolves” presented in Prague

Today, along with Laura Kiiroja, I presented our paper ”Fear not! Socialization of captive wolves” at the 16th gathering in biosemiotics (Prague July 4-8). Some 45 people were present.

Page reference for "Proto-language in wolves" abstract

Our paper "Proto-language in wolves" appears on pp. 42-43 on the printed abstract book of the 3rd International conference in code biology.

"Proto-Language in wolves" paper presented in Urbino at Codebiology 3

I have just presented my paper ”Proto-language in wolves” at the 3rd International Conference in Code Biology (Urbino, Italy, May 25-27th 2016). Some 20-25 people were present.

"Wolf land" article referred to in "Habitat Model for a Recolonizing Wolf (Canis lupus) population in Finland"

My article

Tønnessen, Morten 2010. Wolf Land. Biosemiotics 3.3: 289–297 (online version, published April 23, 2010: DOI: 10.1007/s12304-010-9077-x).

is cited in 

Kaartinen, Salla, Harri Antikainen and Ilpo Kojola (2015). Habitat Model for a Recolonizing Wolf (Canis lupus) population in Finland. Annales Zoologici Fennici 52: 77–89.

Excerpt (pp. 77-78):

In Fennoscandinavia, the primary reason for the presently small number of wolves is presumably wolf-human conflicts, including wolf predation on semi domesticated reindeer herds in Northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland and sheep flocks especially in Norway, as well as wolf attacks on dogs, a problem that concerns all Nordic countries (Kojola & Kuittinen 2002, [...] Tønnesen 2010).

Wolf socialization article renamed

My article-in-progress with Laura Kiiroja "Socialization of wolves" is tentatively retitled "Socialization of captive wolves facilitates animal welfare and behavior".

Work meeting on wolf communicative acts

Today I met with my collaborator Paul Thibault at University of Agder to continue our work on two joint articles. We spent the time discussing the article formerly referred to as the "Proto-language in wolves" article (though the focus is changing somewhat).

Paper abstract with Laura Kiiroja for GiB16: "Socialization of captive wolves"

For the 16th Annual Gathering in Biosemiotics (Prague, 4-8 July 2016), Laura Kiiroja and I submitted the abstract below.

***

Socialization of captive wolves

Laura Kiiroja & Morten Tønnessen  

Wolves give rise to controversy not only in the wild but also in captivity. Due to their genetically inherited fear of humans, wolves in captivity are notorious for persistent escape attempts, self-destructive behaviours, stereotypical behaviour and over-all suffering. Socialization of wolves with humans makes the animals more suitable for living in captive environments by reducing their fear of humans. Although proven effective, it is still a widely unknown and often misunderstood method of improving animal welfare for captive wolves. 

In this paper, a semiotic approach is used to explain the essence and proper methodology of socialization of wolves with humans for animal welfare purposes. Emphasis is put on understanding the changes in the animal’s Umwelt and in the human–animal relationship. The interdisciplinary theoretical contribution will be supported by Laura Kiiroja’s practical experiences with socialization of wolves in USA and Germany, and by Morten Tønnessen’s studies of wolf socialization in two Norwegian zoos (Langedrag mountain farm and wildlife park and Polar Zoo). Additionally, Kiiroja has conducted semi-structured interviews with world-recognized experts.  

The study explains how proper socialization aims to change the human’s significance in the animal’s Umwelt from enemy to social partner. This requires social human-imprinting, and using consistently positive methods of taming and handling. In fact, using aversive techniques, such as dominance theory and punishment, damages socialization and results in dangerous situations. Working “on animal terms” and establishing effective inter-specific communication is crucial for avoiding conflicts and maintaining positive and healthy relationships. The authors suggest that a zoosemiotic approach complements more mainstream ethological knowledge in human–animal interactions and is capable of advancing animal welfare as well as give zoo visitors more realistic experiences of wolves. 

The pros and cons of socializing captive wolves will be analysed. Animal welfare will improve with more opportunities for enrichment, less stressful effect of visitors, and better veterinary routines and husbandry practices. Avoiding suffering caused by constant fear enables the animal to display a quite complete species-specific behavioural repertoire. This is a benefit for behavioural research on captive wolves. Additionally, seeing the wolves in close proximity or interacting with them triggers empathy and interest in visitors, and this may contribute positively to support for wolf conservation. On the downside, zoos and other facilities keeping socialized wolves should be aware of the possibility that visitors might misinterpret wolves as potential pets, and adjust their education program accordingly. The management of these facilities should furthermore invest in educated wolf personnel, to be able to meet the requirements of proper wolf socialization. 

Keywords: Umwelt theory, wolves, captivity, socialization, human–animal relationships, human–animal communication, animal welfare, animal behaviour

"Proto-language in wolves" talk cancelled

My talk, along with Paul Thibault, "Proto-language in wolves", at the conference "Animals in the Anthropocene: Human–animal relations in a changing semiosphere", will have to be cancelled, since he is ill and I became a father two days ago.