blackmagic Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 He is researching into wolf behaviour with the hope of releasing wolves into the wild. http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/northde.../wolf/wolf.aspx http://ngcblog.nationalgeographic.com/ngcb...mong_wol_1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Rescue Lover Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 Does anyone happen to know more about Sean Ellis the wolf guy ? I've googled him but not really found much, I seem to remember something about him doing a lot for wolf conservation but I was just wondering what his reason is for living with the wolves he has. I watched a programme about him on Sky a few months ago and it showed him with his pack right from when they were youngsters up until the dynamics of the pack started to change, when the wolves got older and started to jostle for alpha male position. It was fascinating. I think it was called Wolfman, or something like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 Does anyone happen to know more about Sean Ellis the wolf guy ? I've googled him but not really found much, I seem to remember something about him doing a lot for wolf conservation but I was just wondering what his reason is for living with the wolves he has. I think he just loves wolves?! As said above he was featured in a fairly recent tv programme - he appears at the Combe Martin Wildlife & Dinosaur Park in Devon: http://www.dinosaur-park.com/index2.htm. He's an interesting character! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batmobile Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 I thought this programme was amazing and it made me love Martin Clunes even more. I always love seeing people who adore dogs as much as me and promoting understanding of them! The rat bit didn't bother me - there are far worse ways to kill them and they are a nuisance. I can understand why some people found it disturbing but I thought it was informative and felt that it showed how clever and useful dogs and their instincts can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzeanna Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 (edited) I recorded this and watched it yesterday afternoon..brilliant! the look on his face when the wolves answered the howl was priceless, he was so excited! I think it was a pity they didn't make mention of the fact that wolves are hunted (often by helicopter) and shot in Canada and the scandanavian countries, for no reason other than "sport". No doubt in years to come there wont be any left to find in the wild. I'm looking forward to the next programme. edited to add: anyone who missed it..you can watch it again on your comp here...(I hope!) http://www.itv.com/CatchUp/Video/default.h...mp;Filter=25243 Edited August 26, 2008 by suzeanna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 Sean Ellis does seem quite a character, and you certainly can't knock him for his conservation work and bringing wolves to the attention of the public, and perhaps altering the common perception, but I had a rather, heated debate, with my friend as to whether his methods had any value for studying wolf behaviour one of these days we'll be able to watch a dog programm and not shout at each other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtychicken Posted August 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 edited to add: anyone who missed it..you can watch it again on your comp here...(I hope!) http://www.itv.com/CatchUp/Video/default.h...mp;Filter=25243 Thank you for that I saw it on Sunday night but would like to watch it again (without the kids jabbering in the background ) and have been watching and waiting to see if it would crop up on there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 I'd like to watch it again too - and again and again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 I had a rather, heated debate, with my friend as to whether his methods had any value for studying wolf behaviour Limited value, I should have thought. They are still a captive group and in this case littermates which would have gone their seperate ways by now in the wild. They aren't a pack with normal wild wolf pack dynamics. Pam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 Limited value, I should have thought.They are still a captive group and in this case littermates which would have gone their seperate ways by now in the wild. They aren't a pack with normal wild wolf pack dynamics. Pam Thank you, my point exactly even the guy going in with the wolves changes the normal pack behaviour, they weren't raised by wolves either, won't get a chance to hunt together, I think they are all boys too, so there's another spanner in the works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rileyroo Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 Thank you, my point exactly even the guy going in with the wolves changes the normal pack behaviour, they weren't raised by wolves either, won't get a chance to hunt together, I think they are all boys too, so there's another spanner in the works. Mind you, that's not far from the studies that gave us dominance theory - and look how many devotees that has Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melp Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 Limited value, I should have thought.They are still a captive group and in this case littermates which would have gone their seperate ways by now in the wild. They aren't a pack with normal wild wolf pack dynamics. Pam I'm reading a book by Shaun Ellis at the moment. It's called The Wolf Talk. My understanding is that wolves don't go their seperate ways and that they live in family groups unless individuals choose to leave the pack and start their own family groups. Is that not the case then? I really enjoyed the programme and am looking forward to the next one. Whilst I didn't like to see the dogs killing the rats I was surprised and releived to see how quick it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brierley Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 Very simply: As they reach sexual maturity and the need to reproduce kicks in, they leave their birth pack to set up a breeding pack of their own. They tend NOT to mate with another from their birth pack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carole Stitcher Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 Very simply: As they reach sexual maturity and the need to reproduce kicks in, they leave their birth pack to set up a breeding pack of their own. They tend NOT to mate with another from their birth pack Thereby proving that the Kennel Club don't have the common sense wolves are born with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 Very simply: As they reach sexual maturity and the need to reproduce kicks in, they leave their birth pack to set up a breeding pack of their own. They tend NOT to mate with another from their birth pack That doesn't always happen though, packs are very often family units. The females don't always leave the natal group and act as caretakers for the puppies and in this way ensure that their genes survive. Whether the wolves leave the pack has a lot to do with pack size and the resources available in the area. I didn't watch the programme, I knew it would irritate me with the "dogs are wolves" stuff. I like watching Shaun Ellis but the pack is captive and interfered with. If people want to learn about dog behaviour, they need to study dogs. Wild/feral dog packs do not tend to have the same structure as a wolf pack. It's like watching chimps to learn about humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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