Читать книгу The Dog Owner's Handbook - Graham Meadows - Страница 8

We can understand how and why an association developed between wolves and people if we compare their lifestyles during the period of history (between 15,000 and 60,000 years ago) that led to the wolf’s domestication.

Humans were semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers. They lived in groups, used natural shelters such as caves and made forays to hunt for food. They had leaders upon whose skill or experience the rest of the group relied. Hunting required physical strength and was primarily the task of males; cooking food and rearing children was largely the domain of females.

The grey wolf – ancestor of many North American dog breeds.

Wolves also lived together in extended family groups, or packs, within which there was a distinct hierarchy and a pack leader. They made use of what natural shelter was available, and like humans they also made forays to hunt. Females gave birth to, and reared, their cubs, and for much of the time relied on the strength and ability of the males to protect them and provide food.

Grey wolves in a wild environment. Today, grey wolves are found only in Canada, parts of the United States, Russia, and pockets of Eastern Europe.

Because wolves and humans were hunters, they almost certainly competed with each other from time to time. The wolf’s acute sense of smell helped it to track down its prey, and humans may have taken advantage of this by finding wolves that had made a kill, driving them away and taking over the carcass. Wolves probably followed humans who were hunting and picked up any scraps that were left behind.

As time went by, humans developed a distinct advantage over their canine competitors: the ability to use primitive weapons that made their hunting more effective. A better supply of food meant a more stable lifestyle, and humans began to spend more time in semi-permanent encampments.

Bones from wolf-like dogs have been found in excavations of human encampments dating from 30,000 to 60,000 years ago. They were almost certainly not pets, but semi-wild animals killed by the human inhabitants for food, or had been attracted to the encampments to scavenge on food scraps. Humans may have encouraged such scavengers, for the wolves’ superior sense of smell and hearing would have enabled them to detect approaching predators, such as bears or lions, much sooner than the human residents.

Early humans probably made use of the wolf’s hunting and scenting ability, and the protection it offered, in much the same way that we use dogs today. In return the wolves obtained some food, and by remaining close to encampments also received a certain amount of protection, for most large predators would not venture too close to humans.

The Alaskan Malamute bears a close resemblance to its grey wolf ancestors.