I actually started to answer your original post because I thought most of them had ‘super easy and clear cut’ answers. But the more I thought about it the more confused I got I’m glad I found that old post for the both of us!
The distinction is whether the individuals are present because humans actively and deliberately put them there (as opposed to being present because of humans in a more indirect way, like being attracted to food, or thriving in human-built habitats). So I’d say:
If a feral cat colony is monitored- Wild, because they’re feral and choose to be where they are
If a wild penguin colony is closely monitored- Wild, because they choose to be at that location
If a cat/dog has a collar, but is freely interacting with the environment- Captive, as long as the dog is at a location chosen by its owner, as opposed to a runaway/escape
If a wolf/big cat has a collar, but is freely interacting with the enviroment- Wild, as long as humans let the wolf go free after affixing the collar
If a cat is mostly outdoors, but goes home to get food (no guarantee of vet care)- same as #3, Captive if it has a human owner who can choose to let it out or not
Barn cat- Depends whether the humans put them there or they’re ferals that set up shop there on their own
A bear that is habituated to humans -Wild
Birds at a bird feeder- Wild
So I’d say the important part for iNat’s definition is not whether the organism is interacting with wildlife, whether it’s being monitored by humans, or whether it’s using humans for food/shelter. It’s whether a human has deliberately chosen to put the organism in a place and control its movement. 3 and 5 both seem to be pets which are only present at a location because a human actively put them there (not just attracted them). Their movement is being monitored for the sake of control, and if they wander too far, they’ll be actively moved again. Of course, “location” needs to be interpreted within reason. I always give the example of buying a live lobster at the grocery store, putting it on my driveway, and waiting for it to walk 1 meter, and then declaring “it’s at that specific location because it chose to walk there, so it’s wild!” This would be ludicrous, of course. As would saying that a pet dog is wild because it chose where specifically to run when it was out on a walk with its owner. Or that a cat I got at the SPCA is wild because it chose where specifically to wander when I let it out into my yard. The guidelines do say that “escaped” animals can count as wild, but I wouldn’t say a #3 or #5 qualify as “escapes”, nor would I say that 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, or 8 have anything to “escape” from.
All great explanations here. I’ve been wondering as well. As i’ve had this observation of mine marked as captive. (warning it’s a dead cat). At the time i’ve submitted it I did not add the text that’s now there but even without the additional information, what would make it be captive ? It’s kitten remains near a pond with no collar or no other indication it could be from either a dumped kitten or a captive cat.
It is marked as captive and I’m not sure why, basically.
I didn’t look at the obs, but if you scroll to the bottom and look at the Data Quality Assessment you should be able to see who voted “no” on “organism is wild.” If it says “iNaturalist” that means the system marked it automatically, based on most observations of that species in that area being captive. If you have reason to believe it was a feral kitten, you can counter that with a “yes” vote of your own.
Also, if you haven’t already done so, please be sure to annotate the observation as “dead” so people who don’t want to see dead animals can filter it out of search results.
I’m glad I found that old post for the both of us!