Could hair cortisol in free-ranging cattle be a proxy of wolf predation patterns?

ABSTRACT: Cortisol is a biomarker of grey wolf (Canis lupus) prey selection on wild ungulates. Throughout its range, wolves may prey on free-range livestock, leading to conflicts with humans. This can compromise wolf conservation through culling or poaching. We investigate whether glucocorticoid concentration could be a biomarker of individual prey selection by grey wolves that depredate on free-ranging cattle (Bos taurus). To achieve this, cortisol concentration in hair samples from live (n = 46) and wolf-preyed (n = 19) cattle was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The effects of intrinsic and extrinsic variables-namely age, sex and food availability-on hair cortisol concentration (HCC) were investigated through linear mixed models with farm as a random e

SUBMITTER: Rafael M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12851633 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature