International Wolf Day 2024: Almost the entire population of Indian wolves exists outside of protected areas, says Lauren Hennelly
Wolves in India have never had the spotlight on them like Bengal tigers, Asiatic lions, Indian elephants, Indian leopards or One-horned rhinoceros. However, wolves are a flagship species for conserving India’s remaining grassland ecosystems.
However, the situation of the Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes, distinct from the Himalayan or Woolly Wolf, Canis lupus chanco) is dire.
The exact numbers of the Indian wolf are not known, though estimates suggest there are between 2,000 and 3,000 individuals across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Lauren Hennelly is a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in the Globe Institute at University of Copenhagen. Her work has mainly involved studying grey wolves and other canid species.
Down To Earth caught up with Hennelly on the occasion of International Wolf Day 2024 and asked her about the condition of the Indian wolf in India and Pakistan. The last Indian wolf in what is today Bangladesh was seen in 1949. In 2019, an adult male was killed by village residents in the Bangladeshi Sundarbans.
Edited excerpts from the interview:
Q. What large, multinational initiatives are being undertaken for Indian wolf conservation?
A: We are currently undergoing a new initiative to formally assess the Indian wolf as part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The assessment classifies the Indian wolf according to its risk of extinction, such as Endangered or Vulnerable. It also provides a comprehensive review of the current threats, status, and population estimate of Indian wolves in both India and Pakistan. Notably, we provide the first quantitative population estimate for Indian wolves in Pakistan. Formally assigning an IUCN Red List category is a huge stride to inform conservation policy decisions, catalyse conservation actions, and increase public awareness of the Indian wolf. We hope the assessment comes out in the fall or winter.
Q. Is there a consensus among taxonomists that the grey wolves of Central Asia and the Middle East are distinct from those in the Indian subcontinent? Or is the jury still out?
A: Yes, there is 100 per cent consensus with solid evidence that grey wolves in Central Asia and the Middle East are distinct from wolves of the Indian subcontinent. Why they’re distinct is a fascinating story that highlights how unique Indian wolves are. The Indian wolf is the world’s oldest wolf lineage, found nowhere else in the world besides India and Pakistan. We think they’ve been isolated within the Indian subcontinent for over 100,000 years. In contrast, wolves found from Iran to Turkey are more closely related to wolves in Europe and North America than they are to wolves in India.
Q. What is the status of the Indian wolf in Pakistan? Is it similar to India?
A: Indian wolves in Pakistan are teetering on the edge of extinction. There are likely just a handful of packs left in Sindh and Punjab, the provinces that are home to Indian wolves. Hindering their conservation is the lack of information on where Indian wolves are still surviving in Pakistan and the lack of public awareness for their conservation. It is the need of the hour to increase awareness and support by local communities, governmental bodies, the broader public in Pakistan to conserve these remaining Indian wolf populations.
Q. Today, barely 2,000-3,000 Indian wolves remain. The Indian wolf faces a precarious existence, given that grasslands have vanished. Can something be done? Or is it too late?
A: As long as there are still wild Indian wolves left, it’s not too late to start initiatives to save them. The quicker conservation efforts are started, the greater the chance they have to persist in the future. Our recent assessment revealed almost the entire population exists outside of protected areas. Much of their future lies in the hands of local communities and initiatives by multiple partners (government, NGOs, etc) to reduce the most pressing threats towards their persistence. These include protecting denning sites when Indian wolves are most vulnerable. While new initiatives like captive breeding are important, it remains absolutely essential to identify and protect the remaining breeding populations in India and Pakistan.