Kurt Kotrschal

“People without dogs are not quite complete”

Kurt Kotrschal at the Posthof in Linz: The famous behavioral scientist from Linz sees the dog, which is descended from the wolf, as an important "partner for the psyche".

(Bild: Brandstaetter)

An evening with behavioral scientist Kurt Kotrschal is not complete without a wolf. The well-known Upper Austrian presented his new book "Why dogs make us better people" at the Posthof in Linz on Thursday. The wolf was not far behind. And cats were also a topic.

Kurt Kotrschal has been exploring the nature of wolves and dogs for almost three decades. In his new book "Warum Hunde uns zu besseren Menschen machen" (Brandstätter, €25), he sheds light on the partnership between dogs and humans from a scientific perspective.

Some of his findings: Dogs are companions with a good social embedding. In times when the daily news causes depression in many people, four-legged friends are a "social lubricant" for connecting with other people.

Dogs keep their humans fit
"They satisfy social needs, almost without judging them," says the behavioral scientist, who taught at the University of Vienna, succeeded Konrad Lorenz at the research institute in Grünau im Almtal and co-founded the Wolf Science Center Ernstbrunn (Lower Austria).

Dogs make you happy
Or: "Dogs are a buffer against everyday stress. A life with a dog ensures an emotionally balanced lifestyle and thus increases physical and mental resilience." A study in China, Australia and Germany showed that dog owners need 12 to 18 percent fewer visits to the doctor. Conclusion: "People without dogs are not quite complete."

(Bild: Brandstätter Verlag)

Sentiment towards wolves is divided
"Dogs are our best friends because they are descended from wolves," the author brings the Issegrim into play. Homo sapiens entered into an alliance with the wolf 40,000 years ago. Science has discovered that humans and wolves are born with similar social attitudes.

There are currently five wolf packs living in Austria, which repeatedly cause headline-grabbing trouble among farmers and hunters.

When asked by presenter Claudia Hofer, Kurt Kotrschal describes the latest EU directive, which protects wolves less strictly, as a "reassurance policy". It allows wolves to be hunted if the population is not endangered. This does not apply to Austria.

Wolf is good for a healthy forest
The researcher detects a mildly pro-wolf sentiment among the population. "The wolf is a service provider for the ecosystem." Nevertheless, an audience member at the Posthof wanted to know what to do if he came across a wolf while hiking. Kotrschal's advice: "Above all, you should be happy and document it, because it's very unlikely."

What about the "cat people"?
Cat owners were in the glaring minority at the book presentation. The scientist was unable to come up with any facts about the relationship between humans and cats, but he is certain: "A cat does not become a dog."