Data and code from: 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 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 got 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 habitats that provide 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.