ETHIOPIA

The rare Ethiopianwolf, also known as SimianJackal or Simian fox, isstruggling for survival.Increasing human demandfor high altitude grazing andagriculture, hybrich6ationwith domestic dogs andinfectious diseases like rabiesand canine distemper aresome of the hurdles faced bythese rare animals in theirbid to live. These unique animals are found only in a fewisolated mountain pockets of Ethiopia.

Fewer than 500 of these wolves survive in five or seven widely dispersed populations and are mainly concentrated in the vast AfroAlpine plateau of the Bale Mountains National Park. But even there, their number has been dwindling over recent years. All this makes the Ethiopian wolf the rarest member of the Canid family in the world.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Canid Specialist Group is making efforts to save this rare species. It has called for the control of the domestic dog population within the wolf range and the initiation of a captive breeding programme. The group is planning to undertake a detailed survey of the wolves' habitat.