Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens

Author ORCID Identifier

Emily C. Lynch https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4522-924X

Joseph W. Hinton https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2602-0400

Jennifer B. Nagashima https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6189-0914

Volume

7

Issue

3

Publisher

MDPI AG

Publication Date

8-21-2026

Journal Article Version

Version of Record

First Page

1

Last Page

10

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

For species extirpated from the wild, ex situ breeding programs are essential for providing the individuals necessary for re-establishing wild populations through reintroductions. However, repeated exposure to humans under managed care may reduce wariness and alter behavioral responses in ways that are maladaptive after release. Although some pre-release behaviors reflect natural responses essential for survival and reproduction, others may result from habituation to humans and increase the risk of conflict, recapture, or mortality following translocation. These risks underscore the need for behavioral assessments to help identify appropriate candidates for release. However, because the assessments themselves require some exposure to humans, pilot studies are needed to determine whether the methods are feasible and reliably capture meaningful individual variation. Here, a standardized behavioral assay was tested to quantify tolerance of ex situ red wolves (Canis rufus) to humans. A pilot study was conducted by staff at the North Carolina Zoo in which repeated observations on 23 red wolves were used during routine husbandry activities to measure three commonly used indices of human tolerance: flight initiation distance, behavioral response to human entry/approach to enclosures, and willingness to consume prey in the presence of humans. Using a multivariate framework, two distinct profiles, human-avoidant and human-tolerant, were identified, in which older red wolves were more likely to exhibit human-tolerant profiles, suggesting an age-related association, consistent with cumulative habituation. These results demonstrate that behavioral profiles can be developed from observations made during routine husbandry activities, requiring no additional handling or invasive testing protocols. This study outlines how the tool can be used for release-candidate screening and adapted for use across facilities participating in the red wolf ex situ breeding program.

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