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Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) in Asia - Ecology, Behavior & Conservation
Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) in Asia - Ecology, Behavior & Conservation
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Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) in Asia - Ecology, Behavior & Conservation
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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
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
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
Important lectures regarding Himalayan and Tibetan wolves
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
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
The absolute beauty of community-based conservation. Some incredible kind villagers from Pakistan saved a wolf from likely dying.
"Small village, big hearts Embracing the spirit of compassion, the residents of Washich village in the enchanting Torkhow Valley unite to extend a helping hand to a sick wolf that wandered into their settlement. Despite its wild nature, these kind-hearted villagers wrap the shivering creature in warmth and reach out to wildlife officials for further assistance. This beautiful gesture exemplifies that kindness knows no bounds and demonstrates the power of collective action in making a meaningful difference in the lives of all beings."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Bangladesh
Gray wolves have been considered regionally extinct in Bangladesh. However, in 2019, an adult male was killed due to livestock depredation. On the reappearance of the Indian grey wolf in Bangladesh after 70 years: what do we know? LINK Abstract The Indian grey wolf, Canis lupus pallipes Sykes, 1831, is a small, cryptic subspecies and the only wolf living in arid plains and deserts of the Indian subcontinent. Since 1950, it has been considered extinct beyond 88° east longitude. Herein, we report an instance from Bangladesh after 70 years. A solitary male of C. l. pallipes was killed in retaliation in June 2019 as livestock predation events erupted and lasted for a month after a severe cyclone had swept coastal Bangladesh. The specimen was about 119 cm from nose to tail tip with a skull length of 26.23 cm. Two molecular markers, mt D-loop control region and 16S rRNA, and 54 cranial parameters consolidated the identity. Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood analyses indicated its intraspecies position. The locality of conflict, 450 km eastward of the easternmost population of C. l. pallipes, is adjacent to the Sundarbans in the Ganges estuary that presents formidable tidal rivers as dispersal barriers. In 2017, another wolf was sighted from the Indian Sundarbans vicinity. The present incident and the sighting of 2017 remarkably appeared from the farthest corners of a 10,000 km2 strong mangrove network that is rimmed by dense human settlements. The records surmise about the most challenging wolf dispersal route ever recorded. Additionally, the south-central coasts of Bangladesh, once home to wolves, bear old planted mangroves with open dunes but never surveyed for mammals. These facts necessitate a systematic camera-trapping in the coastal mangroves of Bangladesh exclusively intended for wolves. Description of the distribution of wolves in Bengal region (both India and present Bangladesh): "The extant range for the Indian wolf, though patchy and fragmented, goes from the Peninsular India to the Arabian deserts (Jhala 2003). However, it is not known beyond 88° east longitude, except for a recent sighting from a Sundarbans outskirt in the state of West Bengal, India (Mukherjee 2017) (Fig. 1a). Northerly, the subspecies is now contained by the Ganges River in the state of Bihar, India (Dey et al. 2010; Sharma et al. 2019) (Fig. 1a). Anecdotes on C. l. pallipes from the historic region of Bengal, now succeeded by the state of West Bengal, India, and Bangladesh, went back to the 1950s (Fig. 1a). Through accounts of Hunter (1876a,b,c), Simson (1886), and O’Malley (1914, 1923), the historic eastern limit of wolves in the Indian subcontinent appeared to be the entire south-central and western Bengal (Fig. 1a). Hunter (1876c) also noted wolves from Darjeeling, a northern hilly region of West Bengal (Fig. 1a); however, whether these wolves were plainland (C. l. pallipes) or hilly subspecies (C. l. chanco) was not mentioned. Mitra (1957) noted a predation event of wolf killing a man around 1940s from the coastal grasslands of Noakhali, south-central Bangladesh (Fig. 1a). O’Malley (1914,1923) mentioned wolf from the districts of Noakhali and Pabna of Bangladesh as well as from Murshidabad, Malda, and Dinajpur—districts which are now part of India (Hunter 1876a,b) (Fig. 1a). These regions lie along the Ganges River and rich in riverine open country and grassland mosaics (IUCN Bangladesh 2015) similar to current range areas of the Indian wolves. However, long before the independence of Bangladesh, wolf is regarded as an extirpated species in the eastern Bengal (Khan 2015, 2018), although any exclusive survey has never been undertaken." "This work proved the appearance of the Indian grey wolf in Bangladesh after 70 years. Craniometric measurements are also provided for the first time from the entire Indian Subcontinent. Its phylogenetic position is also examined. Finally, the possible reasons causing its appearance in the country are discussed." Map showing historical records of wolves in the Bengal region [Fig. 1 Occurrence of the Indian grey wolf Canis lupus pallipes in its eastern limit (a) and the Sundarbans forest peripheries (b). Black dashed line marks historical easternmost limit of the species after Simson (1886). Green-shaded areas denote forest cover. Light grey areas denote the historic region of Bengal, now succeeded by the state of West Bengal, India, and Bangladesh. Dark grey area denotes the district of Barguna. Inset shows the region within the Indian subcontinent]  *This image is copyright of its original author Description of the skull of the killed wolf [Fig. 3 Skull of the Indian grey wolf Canis lupus pallipes reported in this article. Cranium: dorsal view (a), frontal view (b), palatal view ©, nuchal view (d), lateral view from right (e), and lateral view from left (f). Mandible: dorsal view (g), frontal view (h), lateral view from right (i) and lateral view from left (j). Ak akrokranion, An angular process, Au auditory bulla, B basion, C canine, Co condyle, Cr coronoid process, Ent enterorbitale (interorbital), F frontal, N nasion, I incisor, J jugal, M molar, Mx Maxilla, O occipital condyle, P premolar, Pr prosthion, Pt parietal, Rh rhinion, S synsphenion, Sm squamosal, Sc sagittal crest, St staphylion, Z zygomatic arch of squamosal. Numeric placed against the corresponding tooth denotes their corresponding number in the order of appearance. Reddashed circles denote anomalies and blunt traumas]  *This image is copyright of its original author Conclusion: The possibility of wolves, even in very small numbers, existing Bangladesh cannot be overthrown. "In conclusion, we do not overthrow the possibility of long-ranging dispersal behavior of wolves. Given the geographical features of the region, cryptic nature of the species, and pattern of the occurring incidents, we, through this note on the Indian wolf sighting in Bangladesh after 70 years, strongly advise a systematic camera-trapping study in the coastal mangroves as well as along their peripheries." The image of the killed wolf. Readers please read this Mongabay article: The wolf of Bangladesh: A true story. The images are from there.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Scientific literature on predation biology of wolves in two Asian range countries
Predation by grey wolf on wild ungulates and livestock in central Iran LINK Abstract The grey wolf Canis lupus has the largest geographical range of large mammalian carnivores in west Asia. However, it is one of the least studied species, particularly in Iran. Feeding ecology is a critical aspect of predator ecology and has important implications when formulating species and ecosystem management strategies. Also, predation on livestock is a crucial cause of wolf–human conflicts throughout the wolf’s global range. Accordingly, we investigated the diet of the grey wolf in Ghamishlou, an area with high population densities of wild and domestic ungulates in central Iran, between July 2007 and April 2009. Scat analysis indicated that livestock was the single most important prey species for wolves with 47.1% of total biomass consumed, whereas Persian gazelle comprised 27.0% and wild sheep 15.9%. Wild kills were significantly skewed towards males relative to their proportion in the population, and were mainly preyed on during post-rutting months. Based on interview surveys, less than 1% of mean herd size was lost to wolf depredation; however, almost six times more died from non-depredation causes during each winter. We concluded that the high occurrence of livestock in the wolves’ diet is mainly because of scavenging rather than depredation; however, owing to high pressure of wolves on local herds during non-winter seasons in other areas with depleted prey populations, local people dislike wolves and try to eradicate them. Finally, management implications are discussed and solutions are recommended. Key information from this paper: Wolves' primary prey were wolves and domestic ungulates. Wolves preyed upon a lot of livestock despite the abundance of wild prey. Gazelle and wild sheep were the primary wild prey animals. "Our study revealed that wolves in Ghamishlou primarily prey on wild and domestic ungulates as has been shown in many other areas of their geographical distribution (Jedrzejewski et al., 2000; Mech & Boitani, 2003; Jethva & Jhala, 2004; Gazzola et al., 2005; Barja, 2009). However, although wild ungulates were abundant, livestock was consumed at a much higher rate than we had expected based on previous literature (Capitani et al., 2004; Jethva & Jhala, 2004; Nowak et al., 2005). In the meantime, despite our caution in trying to avoid confusing wolf and dog scats, it is always possible that a proportion of our scat samples belonged to dogs which sometimes feed on carrions, thus leading to an overestimate of the proportion of domestic livestock in the wolf’s diet." "Gazelle and wild sheep provide most wild ungulate prey with very few Persian wild goat. This reflects primarily the availability of these prey species to wolves in Ghamishlou, both in terms of abundance and habitat. It has been reported that the wolves rarely go for mountain ungulates when alternative sympatric plains ungulates are easily available (Huggard, 1993; Gazzola et al., 2005)." Wolves (in many parts of their range) can be wrongly be blamed for livestock deaths. In this study, economic loss from wolf predation was 6 TIMES LESS than loss from other causes. High amount of livestock in wolf scats may be from scavenging. "Mean number of livestock predated per each herder during each winter never exceeded 1% of average herd size. Such predation events result in a mean economic loss of about 4 730 000 Rial (US$ 472) for each herder during two grazing seasons in Ghamishlou. In contrast, local people lose almost 28 112 000 Rial (US$ 2810) per capita due to non-predation losses. Therefore, various other factors led to livestock losses almost six times more than those from wolf depredation in Ghamishlou during two winter seasons. The high proportion of livestock in wolf scats may reflect scavenging as well as predation, especially given that disease was an important mortality factor in local herds." [Ghamishlou Wildlife Refuge surrounds three patches of the National Park (NP). Livestock grazing is allowed only within non-NP parts of the Wildlife Refuge.]  *This image is copyright of its original author [Percentage occurrence of different food items extracted from wolf scats in Ghamishlou, 2008–2009.]  *This image is copyright of its original author [Relative biomass of prey consumed by wolves in Ghamishlou.]  *This image is copyright of its original author A Note on the Diet of Indian Wolf (Canis lupus) in Baltistan, Pakistan LINK Abstract Ten scats of Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) from Baltistan were analyzed on the basis of hair reference key of local wild and domestic mammals. Four species of domestic ungulates, one species of wild ungulate and one species of small mammals were found with a frequency of: domestic sheep, 6.25%, domestic goat, 25%; cow, 6.25%; yak, 12.5%; Himalayan ibex, 6.25% and marmot, 6.25%. Plant material was observed with a frequency of 12.5%. In terms of biomass, domestic livestock contributed 90.7%, while the rest 9.3% came from Himalayan ibex and marmot. Important information from this paper: Wolves have a very varied diet from small mammals to large prey like horses. Wolf predation on livestock are one of the key drivers of human-wolf conflict.
In Baltistan (this study), wolves preyed heavily on livestock. This can be extremely dangerous for the wolves, as local herders may ruthless hunt them down to protect their livestock.
High dependence on livestock shows that no. of wild prey for wolves is dangerously low. Scientific management of wild ungulates and predators is crucial to save wild carnivores especially the Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) in Pakistan. "The study rings an alarm bell. Heavy dependence on the domestic livestock shows that the prey base for wolf is extremely rare. This calls for action by the concerned authorities to take measures to develop wild ungulate populations to minimize dependence of wolf on domestic livestock. In view of the local threatened status of wolf in Pakistan it gets all the more important to properly manage the wild ungulate and predator populations to help conserve the population of wild carnivores in general and that of Indian wolf in particular." [Frequency of occurrence of the remnants of prey species in the scats (n=10) of the Indian wolf collected from Baltistan, Pakistan]  *This image is copyright of its original author Key information derived from this post:
 (09-02-2024, 12:14 PM)TheHyenid76 Wrote: Scientific literature on predation biology of wolves in two Asian range countries My friend, I do not know where you continually find this incredible data, but you do, and in the process, you are contributing to my, and countless other's, educations. Thank you for that!
Rare footage of a lone Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs) attacking a female Arabian oryx and its calf. The mother successfully defends her calf. Location: Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. The caption reads:
A beautiful clip filmed by Mr. Abdullah Al-Anzi from the Sharaan Reserve in AlUla of a female Arabian Oryx defending her young from the Arabian wolf. It shows how the environment can recover and social organization can return to its natural course. This is a success in every sense of the word, and this organization will extend to the vegetation cover. |
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