How to stay wild in a highly domesticated landscape? Spatiotemporal behaviour of wolves in Germany

Wild animals can adapt to the increasing presence of humans by either becoming accustomed to it or by avoiding humans by spatiotemporal separation. The return of the wolf to the German lowlands raised the opportunity to study wolf behaviour in one of the most densely populated and fragmented countries in Europe, in an area where topography offers no retreat from human disturbance. We analysed telemetry data of 18 wolves from five federal states in Germany to study how wolves adjust their movements and activity in relation to anthropogenic structures. We found no evidence that wolves in Germany have become accustomed to humans or human infrastructure. Our results show that wolves adapted their spatiotemporal behaviour in a way that minimized encounters with humans: 1) wolves were mostly inactive during the day, when humans are most active; 2) they showed a high preference for habitat that provides cover, especially during daylight; and 3) they strongly avoided human infrastructures, especially during daylight. This study shows that land‐sharing between wolves and humans does not appear to have resulted in a loss of strong spatial avoidance of humans, particularly during daytime when human activity is highest. It reaffirms that coexistence in landscapes heavily impacted by humans is possible.