As Pakistan has witnessed a spectacular drop in its wolf populations in recent decades, experts warn that without immediate conservation measures, species already endangered can face local extinction in the near future.
The populations of the Indian wolf and the Tibetan wolf in Pakistan decrease at an alarming rate, with only a few hundred people remaining in the country.
The factors induced by humans such as the destruction of habitat, reprisal killings and the decrease in prey populations are the main causes of this decline, according to Rab Nawaz, a senior WWF-Pakistan.
“Pakistan has a rich diversity of wild animals, but many of its species, including wolves, are threatened and are faced with the threat of local extinction,” said Nawaz Anadolu.
In recent years, he added, the pressures induced by humans have intensified the decline of the population of wolves in Pakistan, while significant gaps in ecological knowledge and the distribution of the population still hinders conservation efforts.
“The Indian wolf, in particular, is recognized as in the process of disappearing in Pakistan, but the main knowledge gaps concerning its status as a population and its distribution make conservation efforts,” he said.
Recent genetic studies have revealed that Indian wolves are among the most evolving wolf populations are only in India and Pakistan.
SAEED-UL-Islam, an expert in wildlife, agrees with Nawaz and stresses that the Indian wolf population is decreasing at a much faster rate than the Tibetan wolf, which puts its survival at serious risks.
The Tibetan wolf – also known as the Chinese wolf, Mongolian wolf, Korean wolf, wolf steppe or woolly wolf – has a relatively stable population because of the nature of its less human habitat and encroachment, he explained.
According to a subspecies of the gray wolf, the Tibetan wolf is in certain parts of central China, of the southwest of Russia, Manchuria, Tibet and the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal and Bhutan.
The species is already classified as “vulnerable” because of its low population and is included in the red list of the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN), a world body focused on nature conservation.
Urgent need for conservation measures
Experts cite the murders of reprisals, the loss of habitat and the growing human population such as the main factors behind the decline of the Indian wolf, which is in the plains of southern Sindh, southwest of the Baloutchan and the northeast provinces of Punjab.
“The conflict of human life is the largest factor, followed by demographic growth and the destruction of habitat, which threatens the Indian wolf of local extinction,” said Islam.
In addition, he pointed out that the basis of prey for the Indian wolf has radically decreased due to rapid deforestation and an increasing human imprint in recent decades.
On the other hand, the Tibetan wolf is found in the mountains of northern Gilgit-Baltistan, the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the disputed region of cashmere, where it includes relatively stable habitats, better availability of prey and lower human interaction.
“But still, their population is vulnerable,” he warned.
According to Islam, the population of Indian wolf in Pakistan is probably not more than a few hundred, although no official evaluation of the population has been carried out.
“If serious conservation efforts are not immediately undertaken, we could lose the Indian wolf forever in the years to come,” he warned.
He underlined the urgent need for population assessments, the identification of population groups, the establishment of sanctuaries and the restoration of the housing to keep the population of remaining Indian wolves.
“All this cannot occur without an appropriate evaluation of the population and by identifying the main areas of housing,” he said, recognizing that the problem has not received the necessary attention by the government or wildlife organizations.
Mohammad Kabir, who directs the Wildlife Ecology Lab at the University of Haripur at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stressed that wolves kill a large number of cattle, which is a major factor in the conflicts of human life.
“To alleviate conflicts, conservation management programs should include insurance, vaccination and awareness campaigns,” Kabir told Anadolu.
Such measures, he explained, would help reduce the mortality of livestock due to the disease and to prevent killings of reprisals by wolves by farmers who suffer economic losses.
Role of wolves in the balance of ecosystems
Pakistan contains more than 23,000 square kilometers (8,880 square miles) of appropriate wolf habitat, spread over the distant and inaccessible areas which are connected by natural corridors, according to Kabir.
Sharifuddin Baloch, the chief curator of the Balutchistan fauna department, said the government had declared several national parks and game reserves as protected areas for the Indian wolf in order to keep its population.
“The Indian wolf has already been designated as a protected species in Balutchistan and the rest of Pakistan. However, conservation efforts did not give the desired results due to the killings of continuous reprisals, climate change and the Wolves predatory behavior, “said Baloch.
“Conservation efforts have produced satisfactory results in protected areas, but they have been largely ineffective in other regions due to an in progress conflict of human life,” he added.
One of the main reasons for this conflict, he noted, is the way Wolves hunt cattle.
“They attack in the packs and kill several animals at the same time, unlike other carnivores who target only one or a few animals for food. This makes it the number one enemy of farmers and shepherds, “said Baloch.
Livestock is a main source of livelihoods in rural regions of Pakistan, in particular Balutchistan, where the killings of wolves are common.
“The vast wolf patrol areas also make it difficult to protect them from human and other dangers,” he added.
Kabir, the wildlife researcher, stressed the critical role of wolves in the regulation of prey populations and the maintenance of the balance of ecosystems.
“Wolves are among the least studied carnivores in Pakistan and have been widely ignored in research and conservation programs. As the best predators in their habitats, they regulate the population of other species of prey, “he said.
“Their absence would lead to an uncontrolled increase in prey populations, causing overgrazing, degradation of housing, competition on resources and, ultimately, the collapse of prey populations,” he warned.
A drop in wolf populations, he added, could also lead to an increase in the smallest predators, further disturbing ecological balance.
“As predators, wolves help control the propagation of the disease by targeting sick, old and weak prey. Without them, the disease could spread more quickly among the populations of prey, ”he noted.