I still think this guy goes from living with wolves to Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. (May be a little obscure, but its a reference to burnt out d1psh1 t hippies)

I haven't seen the program but I'm wondering -- if these wolves look at him as a pack member how are they going to view other humans? Have they lost their fear of humans and will they be a menace to other people they come across?
And isn't it almost assured that this guy would loose his alpha status in a very painful way if he is challenged by an adult wolf? How is he going to deal with that?
Did he say at what age he hoped to turn them loose?

Also, there is the Primal Diet in which people eat all their food raw, including meat and organs (some being unrefrigerated aged meat) and do quite well on it. So sharing your canine pack member's food won't necessarily kill you.

That's Shaun Ellis, a very admired (by me at least) expert on wolves and wolf behavior. The way that he interacted with those animals, the point was to be an experiment to see how well a human is really capable of communicating with a wolf in that animals language as compared to teaching a wolf the way of humans. Dangerous.. marginally. I have done many similar things, before I ever knew about Shaun, in my interactions with wolves and wolfdogs. I am part Native American and the owners of all of these animals were Native American - whose philosophies and methods are fascinating and Shaun studied with tribes for a period of time.

I didn't live with wolves, mind you. And I certainly didn't lick them or bite them, and I DO NOT recommend this for anybody(!!), but I often use vocal communication of barks/whoofs/chuffs/whines, growls, and snarls, etc. Body posturing and animal communication techniques are used in my training program, but only with my own dogs.

he did lose his alpha status-he had to go away for a few weeks(to test his howl recordings to keep wild wolves away), and when he came back, another had moved into his place, and he was very low in the pack, but accepted.
He came in, and layed down and showed his belly and licked muzzles, it was pitiful and funny all at the same time, i kept waiting for him to get seriously bit.....

He doesn't eat raw meat, he cooks the internal organs and puts them into the carcass and then takes it into the enclosure. Also, he did lose his alpha status while he was away dealing with a wild wolf emergency and as far as I know has not attempted to regain that status as it would only be resolved at this point, with a fight. One he can't win.

Concerning wolves and humans. It is a good question, but no, the wolves will very likely still be wary and uncomfortable around humans. Any time he enters the enclosure he wears specific clothing that has never been washed and so he is saturated with the scent of the wolves and that territory. Normal humans smell and act very differently and would be viewed differently by the wolves - he is a pack member to them, not a human.

Just my opinion, though.

 Quote: Jennifer Marshal

He doesn't eat raw meat, he cooks the internal organs and puts them into the carcass and then takes it into the enclosure. Also, he did lose his alpha status while he was away dealing with a wild wolf emergency and as far as I know has not attempted to regain that status as it would only be resolved at this point, with a fight. One he can't win.

Concerning wolves and humans. It is a good question, but no, the wolves will very likely still be wary and uncomfortable around humans. Any time he enters the enclosure he wears specific clothing that has never been washed and so he is saturated with the scent of the wolves and that territory. Normal humans smell and act very differently and would be viewed differently by the wolves - he is a pack member to them, not a human.

Just my opinion, though.

That would explain the lack of girlfriends

LOL Dennis... he only wears those items of clothing when he is in the enclosure, he changes and showers when he leaves. But he does have a very pungent odor to him as about 75% of his diet consists of large game organ meat. The reason and purpose of this is that the alpha gets this meat to enhance the smell on purpose, the stronger the smell, darker the pigmentation, the more powerful and easily identifiable to pack members and outsiders you are.

Wow, I sure hope this guy is taxpayer funded. The invaluable information and practical applications to improve everyone's lives is immeasurable. Nothing personal Jennifer, I appreciate your intrest in this field but I think Mary Roach is right on this one.

Fascinating!
It is extreme and a unique way of doing research.

However I can see how this might have some practical applications to those in the field of wolfdog rescue, those who run wolf sanctuaries and other wildlife professional type who run programs of wolf Rehab and reintroduction

Steve,

Don't worry I am not offended But take this into consideration: wolves do not view humans as all being the same. You hear about animals associating humans with trash bins and it is not so - an animal is drawn by the smells of the food, not by the humans. Human presence is a coincidence at the time of an animal-human encounter where the animal is eating at a camp site or trash bins.

I know from experience that wolves do not view all humans as the same. Wolves that have been raised in captivity, constantly around humans their entire lives, do not automatically go to or showe interest in a human simply because they are human. The only thing that being in constant or frequent contact with humans does is make them pay attention to humans more. Wolves ignore or avoid humans at every opportunity, including captive ones. Aggression comes into play with territorial issues, which are rare between wolves and humans. A wolf pack shares territory with other predators and other animals and beings, humans are no different.

The environment is also a factor. These animals are in a specific enclosure, the only area they have ever encountered a human is in that enclosure, not in the wild. In the wild they will have no direct associations with humans.