No difference in the food composition between wolf × dog hybrids and wolves in Poland

Anthropogenic hybridization between wild and domesticated forms of the same species is a significant concern in conservation biology. This problem is especially important for the gray wolf ( Canis lupus ), which hybridizes with the domestic dog ( C. lupus familiaris ) throughout its range. To understand the overlap between hybrid and wolf food niches, we compared the diet of hybrids from two locations with that of wolves from seven locations across Poland. We found that wolf×dog hybrids primarily consumed wild ungulates (95.5-100% of their food biomass), mainly roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ), fallow deer ( Dama dama ), and wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), and supplemented their diet with medium-sized wild mammals such as European hare ( Lepus europaeus ) and Eurasian beaver ( Castor fiber ). The diet of hybrids does not differ from that of wild wolves, and our findings confirm that wolf×dog hybrids may compete with wolves for the same food resources. Preventing wolf-dog hybridization is therefore crucial for safeguarding the ecological roles of wolves. Efforts in this area will be ineffective without reducing the free-ranging dog population and taking decisive steps to prevent dogs from entering wolf habitats.