Cameras capture B.C. sea wolf raiding crab traps in first possible 'tool use'

[OnlinePoker]

B.C.’s Heiltsuk First Nation could not figure out how the traps they had set near Bella Bella to catch the invasive green crabs were being damaged.

So they decided to set up cameras in 2024 to try and solve the mystery.

“Our crews came in and said that, you know, something had been pulling our crab traps and taking the bait,” William Housty, director of the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department in Bella Bella told Global News.

“You normally picture a human being with two hands pulling a crab trap, but we couldn’t figure out exactly what had the ability to be able to do that until we put a camera up and saw, well, there’s other intelligent beings out there that are able to do this, which is very remarkable.

https://globalnews.ca/news/11530341/cameras-capture-bc-sea-wolf-raiding-crab-traps-first-possible-tool-use/

[cbabe]

1. The amazing sea wolves of the Great Bear Rainforest

Canadian Geographic
https://canadiangeographic.ca › articles › the-amazing-sea-wolves-of-the-great-bear-rainforest

The amazing sea wolves of the Great Bear Rainforest

Learn about the unique adaptations and behaviours of sea wolves, the marine-dwelling wolves that live in and around Bella Bella, B.C. Discover how First

[intheflow]

2. Can I just say, weird that this is being called "tool use."

Canines have long been known to pull things and break into things to get food. I’ve had pet dogs drag deer carcasses out of the woods into my yard and open everything from cabinets to tin buckets to get dogfood. Noticing that a system exists to get food and using the existing system is not really the same as using tools. I’ll be impressed when the wolves start putting out their own buoys with traps.

[OnlinePoker]

3. Yah, I found that a bit of a stretch as well.

It's not like they're setting the traps themselves, just scavenging them.