Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. They had been absent for 70 years and were unknown to the elk, which grazed, slept and moved in the absence of an apex predator. The return of the wolf fundamentally changed elk behaviour. They now avoid areas of low visibility. They gather in smaller herds. They are more flighty, watchful, and anxious. Ecologists speak of an ‘ecology of fear’ (Ripple and Beschta, 2004), in which new animal behaviours have had cascading, landscape scale effects on wildlife.
Some domestic dogs have learnt to predict and detect epileptic seizures and diabetic low blood sugar. These ‘service animals’ tune into shifts in human behaviour and the chemistry of their environment. They are trained to warn their companion of their symptoms with a nudge, or by whining, pawing, or anxious barking. If their owner is incapacitated they can trigger an alarm (Rooney et al, 2013).
The sounds and smells of urban environments are conditioned to govern the behaviour of dogs. Adaptil manufacture a ‘dog-appeasing pheromone’. It is sold in a home diffuser and emits a ‘strong signal of security’ (Adaptil, 2016) to reassure dogs in new or stressful settings. The Dazer is a handheld device that emits an unpleasant high frequency sound to deter aggressive dogs. PestBye offer wall mounted, bark-responsive ultrasonic technology designed to silence ‘nuisance dogs’ in the immediate neighbourhood.
