Wolf-Dog Hybridization Common in Caucasus Region

In a recent article, which discusses a study published in the Journal of Heredity, researchers have found that hybridization of wolves with shepherd dogs in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia is more common than what it was thought to be. Dr. Natia Kopaliani, Dr. David Tarknishvili, and colleagues from the Institute of Ecology at Ilia State University in Georgia and the Tbilisi Zoo have found that recent ancestry in about ten percent of sampled wolves and dogs. From their sampled population, two to three percent were linked as first-generation hybrids. Shepherd dogs studied were local breeds from the area that were used to guard livestock from predators, such as wolves.

Researchers fear that this hybrid species may lack fear of humans as there has been an increase of attack on humans and cattle since the 2000's. To confirm their results, researchers examined mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite markers. Microsatellite markers are used to study hybridization due to their ability to mutate easily and because of the fact that they are highly variable even within a single population. More about the wolf-dog hybrid species can be read here.