Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) in Asia - Ecology, Behavior & Conservation

[TheHyenid76]

Post scientific (historical & contemporary) information about the Gray Wolf populations in Asia. Images & videos are also welcome!

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

[TheHyenid76]

The aim of this thread is to collect all recorded knowledge about wolves in Asia.


Brief Overview of the Wolf in Asia

Distribution & Status : Gray wolf (Canis lupus) ranged across much of Asia. They are still found in large numbers yet the protection of these animals varies from Country to Country. Population is stable but it is decreasing in some areas.

Habitat : This differs depending on the country but wolves can survive and thrive in the forests of India, deserts of the Arabian peninsula and the snowy regions of the himalayas.

Predator-Prey Relations : The Wolf mostly preys on wild ungulates and domestic livestock (which are major prey for wolves in certain areas). In Asia, the wolf competes with Hyenids, Canids, small and large felids and bears. Other than human beings, no predator has any significant effect on wolves except the Amur Tiger in Russia.

Cultural Status : The image of the wolf varies from country to country. In certain areas it is very respected whereas in other areas they are hated and considered a pest. Public sentiment differs from culture to culture.

Human-Wolf Conflict : Conflict between farmers and wolves are endless. Wolves may kill livestock and farmers often kill them in retaliation. In certain areas, wolves are persecuted and they are less protected than other large carnivores (leopard in Iran for example).

References:

International Wolf Center - Asia At a Glance
Grey Wolf Canis lupus - Canid Specialist Group

Two wolves standing over a livestock kill in the Iran-Turkmenistan borderland. Credits to Dr Mohammad Farhadinia

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

[TheHyenid76]

Information about the Indian Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) by renowned Indian Zoologist and Conservationist, Dr Yadvendradev Jhala

*This image is copyright of its original author

Status, Ecology and Conservation of the Indian Wolf Canis lupus pallipes Sykes

*This image is copyright of its original author

Description and adaptations of the indian wolf.

*This image is copyright of its original author

"Distribution of the wolf Canis lupus pallipes in India. Locations of known breeding populations of wolves, areas where wolf studies have been conducted and areas where wolf attacks on children have been reported are shown"

*This image is copyright of its original author

"The Indian wolf represents an acient lineage of Canis lupus that is unique to peninsular India and parts of Pakistan. Considered to be endangered, its numbers are believed to be between 2,000 to 3,000."

*This image is copyright of its original author

Summary of the diet and predation of the Indian wolf from this paper

- Wolves' main wild prey are the Indian wild buck and Chinkara
- Outside protected areas they mainly prey on livestock and they may kill donkeys and camel calves.
- "Wolf predation was a major limiting factor responsible for shaping the age and sex structure of the blackbuck population in the Bhal (Jhala et al. 2001)."

"Food habits of wolves reported as percent occurence of prey in scats or percent of kills detected from various studies in India"

*This image is copyright of its original author

Conflicts with Humans and Threats to the Wolf : A Sumarry

- Rabid and non-rabid wolves may attack human children but this is very rare
- Habitat destruction is a major threat
- Wolves are sometimes poisoned and wolf dens are smoked to kill pups.

Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society Reply

[TheHyenid76]

Important lectures regarding Himalayan and Tibetan wolves

Reply

[TheHyenid76]

Survey of attitudes toward, conflicts with and management of wolves and bears in rural villages in Armenia

Abstract

Many studies aimed at assessing human attitudes towards and negative interactions (conflicts) with carnivores, such as wolves (Canis lupus) and bears (Ursus arctos), have been conducted throughout the world. Although villagers in Armenia have reported conflicts with these species and the government recently introduced a wolf-culling program, no such attitude studies had been conducted in Armenia. In an effort to understand more about human attitudes and interactions with these species in Armenia, 23 rural communities were surveyed using focus groups and interviews in July 2012. The types and locations of conflicts that villagers reported experiencing with wolves and bears, the mitigation measures currently being used by villagers, and their attitudes towards wolves, bears and wildlife management policies were documented. Differences were found in the severity and types of conflicts experienced by villagers across the surveyed communities, but no social or geographic variables were identified to explain the variation. Conflicts with wolves centered on wolves attacking livestock, namely cows xi and sheep, and domestic animals, namely horse and dogs. Conflicts with bears mainly involved damage to orchards, crops, beehives, fences and livestock. Over half of the surveyed communities described a sense of frustration and defenselessness because of a lack of support from the government and an overall difficulty with managing conflicts. Participation in the wolf-culling program was very low and attitudes towards wildlife management policies were mostly negative. Current wildlife management policies in Armenia are not effective in helping communities deal with human-wildlife conflicts, and conflicts with wildlife seem to be further exacerbated by conflicts with management policies. Therefore, it is recommended that a participatory human-wildlife conflict management plan, with stakeholder involvement, be pursued in Armenia, as well as more outreach and education to affected communities.

Survey of attitudes toward, conflicts with and management of wolves and bears in rural villages in Armenia

Camera-trap images of Gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Armenia. Credits to the WWF

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

[TheHyenid76]

Wolves in six countries of their Asian range. Yemen, India, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey & Armenia.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply