November 20, 2025, 4:20 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Can a wolf use tools? A new observation from the Haíɫzaqv area in British Columbia challenges our perception of wild wolves. A female wolf was filmed pulling a crab trap completely submerged underwater to shore using a buoy and rope to access the food hidden inside. This multi-step action raises questions about the cognitive abilities of wolves—and our relationship with this underestimated species.
Tool Use by Wolves Has Not Been Previously Described
Tool use in animals was long considered an exclusively human trait. It is now known that many animal species—such as crows, otters, and primates—can purposefully use external objects. However, observations of tool use in the wild remain rare among many animal groups. Specifically, among non-domesticated canids like wolves, tool use has not been described until now.
There are isolated cases involving domesticated dogs and dingoes in captivity, but evidence from natural habitats is lacking. The new observation comes from an area where the Haíɫzaqv Nation (members of the First Nations in British Columbia) has been using crab traps since 2021 to combat the invasive European green crab. The observation was more of a chance discovery. Starting in 2023, unexplained damage to the traps increased. To identify the culprit, wildlife cameras were strategically placed. What they captured surprised even the researchers.
How the Female Wolf Was “Caught”
Starting in May 2024, researchers installed cameras at suspicious locations. On May 29, 2024, a camera recorded a female wolf emerging from the water at high tide—a buoy in her mouth—and then pulling the attached rope piece by piece up the beach. The trap, previously completely submerged, was retrieved this way. The wolf then deliberately manipulated the bait container inside the trap, ate the contents, and disappeared.
The entire action lasted three minutes. Further similar but incomplete observations were made in February 2025. All recordings suggest an unusually complex problem-solving ability in a free-living canid, which has rarely been documented before. Researchers even see this as a possible indication of tool use. In their study “Potential Tool Use by Wolves (Canis lupus): Crab Trap Pulling in Haíɫzaqv Nation Territory,” Kyle A. Artelle and Paul C. Paquet elaborate on their conclusions from the observations. The results were published on November 17, 2025, in the journal “Ecology and Evolution.” 1
Not Just One Wolf Exhibited the Behavior
The remarkable aspect of these observations was that the female wolf’s behavior consisted of several clearly defined steps:
- Picking up the buoy,
- Pulling the rope,
- Making the trap visible,
- Extracting and deliberately manipulating the bait cup through the net.
The bait was eaten, and then the female wolf disappeared. The efficiency and purposefulness of the action, combined with other damaged and retrieved traps in the area, suggest prior experience.
A second observation on February 14, 2025, showed another wolf pulling a partially submerged trap–also with the bait container removed. Overall, the observations suggest that at least two wolves are capable of strategically using human trapping devices to access food.
Is It Really Tool Use?
Tool use is biologically defined as “the use of objects as tools, such as for grooming (comfort behavior, social grooming), food acquisition, as weapons, and during courtship.” This behavior is known from relatively few animal species, such as monkeys or birds. 2
Typically, animals use objects they deliberately collect in nature and sometimes even manipulate them to make the tool work better. In the case of the observed wolves, it is difficult to determine whether pulling on a rope qualifies as tool use. Comparable problem-solving behavior is shown by primates and corvids—and even bumblebees—in a classic intelligence test where animals had to pull a string to receive a reward. However, this would not be considered tool use.
Have We Underestimated Wolves?
The study may provide the first documented evidence of tool use by free-living wolves. Even though the boundaries of definitions remain debatable—such as whether pulling a rope equates to tool use—the observed behavior demonstrates remarkable cognitive complexity.
Particularly noteworthy is that the female wolf apparently understood the connection between the buoy, rope, and an invisible food source—a skill that might go beyond simple trial-and-error learning. The action resembles so-called “goal-directed problem-solving,” as described in chimpanzees.
Since wolves are not typically considered tool users, this case represents a potential shift in thinking—both scientifically and socially regarding this species. It also raises new questions about environmental conditions that foster such complex behavior, such as reduced human persecution pressure, as seen in the Haíɫzaqv area. This might allow wolves more time for exploration and learning.
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Study Context and Possible Limitations
Although the video recordings are impressive, they are isolated observations. These do not allow comprehensive conclusions about wolf behavior in general. The interpretation as tool use also depends on the definition used—some professional definitions exclude rope pulling.
Additionally, it is unclear whether the observed action is due to individual learning, social learning, or even accidental discovery. The origin of the behavior—such as through observation of humans or gradual learning during low tide—remains speculative. There is currently no systematic assessment of how widespread this ability is within the pack or population.
No further cases have been documented where fully submerged traps were repeatedly retrieved. Nevertheless, the finding is scientifically significant, especially since such observations outside captivity are extremely rare. The results thus serve as a good starting point for further research and ethical discussions about the treatment of wolves.
Conclusion: Findings Challenge Our Societal View of Wolves
The observation of a female wolf deliberately pulling a crab trap from the water could significantly influence our understanding of wolf behavior. Although many questions remain—such as the frequency, distribution, and origin of the behavior—the study suggests a previously underestimated cognitive flexibility in wild wolves. This insight challenges not only research but also our societal view of wolves: as intelligent, adaptable creatures whose protection may need to be considered beyond purely biological aspects.