Himalayan wolf among Red List vulnerable species

Experts have called for urgent action for the conservation of species listed as Vulnerable and Endangered in the 2023 Red List of Threatened Species released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In India, as a Mongabay-India (MI) report highlights, the Himalayan wolf has been classified as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, with only 2275 to 3792 individuals left in the wild. The MI report points out that wildlife experts are pushing for stronger conservation measures for the apex predator, considering various constraints and conflicts in its habitat.

The Himalayan wolf is found in the Himalayan region encompassing India, Nepal and the Tibetan Plateau of Western China. In India specifically, an estimated 227 to 378 Himalayan wolves are found, distributed in the upper Himalayan region in Lahaul, Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and in small areas of Sikkim, Uttarakhand and possibly Arunachal Pradesh, the MI report quotes scientists with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) as saying. The MI report goes on to state that the species was found to have a distinct genetic lineage of ancient origin, different from the grey wolf lineage which it was previously assumed to belong to.

The IUCN lists these threats to the subspecies, including habitat loss or modification, depredation conflict, depletion of wild prey, hunting for illegal wildlife trade, persecution for preying on livestock and hybridisation with increasing population of feral dogs or free-ranging dogs in India, especially in Ladakh and Spiti. Experts feel that top priority should be to reduce conflict with people by increasing protection to livestock when grazing in pastures. There should also be extensive sterilisation and vaccination programmes for feral dogs to limit competition and prevent transmission of diseases. Stopping the littering of organic waste in the open by tourists and defence activities in these regions is also essential.

The MI report says that experts note that grassland conservation, monitoring of unplanned development, management of feral dog populations and better waste disposal methods are needed to conserve the Himalayan wolf population. Habitat conservation and management are also crucial, experts say. There has been increased grazing pressure on grasslands which are vital for survival for both wild prey and predator populations. Wolf habitats need to be protected and monitored for unplanned development and garbage disposal.

The IUCN report notes that the Himalayan wolf lineage, described since 1840, has been overlooked by science and conservation. It was recently established that the Himalayan wolf forms a genetically distinct lineage than the grey wolf. It has specifically adapted to “life in the high-altitude ecosystems of the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau, justifying taxonomic recognition and conservation listing,” as per the IUCN report.

Researchers from the University of Oxford have discovered that the Himalayan wolf is a unique wolf characteristically adapted to the harsh life in the Asian high altitudes where low oxygen levels challenge all life forms. This research, published in the Journal of Biogeography, states that the Himalayan wolf is considered an ancient wolf as it evolved prior to the contemporary grey wolf which is found in large parts of North America and Eurasia.

The research highlights that very little is known about the Himalayan wolf, because science and conservation have overlooked these high-altitude wolves as just another grey wolf until recently. As a result, very little research had been conducted on this wolf and no conservation action has been in place, risking a silent population decline of this wolf. The Himalayan wolf is a top carnivore in the Asian high altitudes, which hold some of the last intact large wilderness areas on our planet. The protection of the Himalayan wolves is critical to preserve these ecosystems given that top carnivores are key to keep an ecosystem healthy and balanced. This becomes even more relevant when considering that the Asian high altitudes hold the water resources for billions of people in south-east Asia and it is of global interest to keep those ecosystems and their wildlife populations healthy. The insights gained in this research by scientists at the University of Oxford’s Department of Zoology further inform the development of long-term sustainable conservation plans for these wolves and their high-altitude ecosystems.