BRAINDUMP
Why don’t dogs act like wolves?
Riaz Hood
Humans first formed a relationship with wolves more than 30,000 years ago. That’s the blink of an eye in normal evolutionary terms, but selective breeding has sped up the process. Over generations we’ve chosen the calmest, friendliest dogs, slowly breeding out the most wolfish behaviours. We’ve changed everything from where they live to what they eat. Dogs are also dependent on people, rather than a pack. They lack a wolf’s problem-solving skills because they don’t need them for survival. VW
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Who’s answering your questions this month?
Jo Elphick
History and forensic science
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Victoria Williams
Animals, the environment and science
CAN PEOPLE REALLY ‘WHISPER’ TO ANIMALS?
Elora Mendoza
There’s no evidence that ‘animal whisperers’ have any sort of
