As Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic decrease 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 are decreasing at an alarming rate, with only a few hundred people remaining in the country.
Human-induced factors, such as habitat destruction, retaliation murders and populations of decreasing dams, are the main causes of this decrease, according to Rabe Nawaz, a senior WWF-Pakistan official.
“Pakistan has a rich diversity of wildlife, but many of its species, including wolves, are in danger and face the threat of local extinction,” Nawaz told Anadolu.
In recent years, he added, humans induced pressures have intensified the decrease in the population of Wolf in Pakistan, while significant gaps in ecological knowledge and the distribution of the population further hinder conservation efforts.
“The Indian wolf, in particular, is recognized as in danger in Pakistan, but the key knowledge gaps regarding their population and distribution hinders conservation efforts,” he said.
Recent genetic studies have revealed that Indian wolves are among the most evolutionarily different wolf populations, which are only in India and Pakistan.
Saeed-Ul-Islam, a wildlife expert, agrees with Nawaz and emphasizes that the population of the Indian wolf is decreasing at a much faster rate than the Tibetan wolf, which puts its survival at serious risk.
The Tibetan wolf, also known as the Chinese wolf, the Mongol wolf, the Korean wolf, the wolf of the steppes or the Lanoso wolf, has a relatively stable population due to the nature of its habitat and less human invasion, he explained.
It is believed that it is a gray wolf subspecies, the Tibetan wolf is located in parts of the center of China, the southwest of Russia, Manchuria, the Tibet and the regions of the Himalayas of India, Nepal and Bután.
The species is already classified as “vulnerable” due to its low population and is included in the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global body focused on the conservation of nature.
Urgent need for conservation measures
The experts cite murders in retaliation, loss of habitat and the growing human population as the main factors behind the decline of the Indian wolf, which is located in the plains of the south of Sindh, the southwest of Baluchistan and the provinces of the northeast of Punjab.
“The conflict of human life is the most important factor, followed by population growth and habitat destruction, which threatens the Indian wolf with local extinction,” said Islam.
In addition, he pointed out that the prey base for the Indian wolf has decreased dramatically due to rapid deforestation and a growing human footprint in recent decades.
In contrast, the Tibetan wolf is located in the mountains of northern Gilgit-Baltistan, the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Cashmiro region in dispute, where it has relatively stable habitats, better availability of prey and lower human interaction.
“But still, its population is vulnerable,” he warned.
According to Islam, the population of Indian Wolf in Pakistan is not more than a few hundred, although an official population evaluation has not been carried out.
“If there are no serious conservation efforts immediately, we can lose the Indian wolf forever in the coming years,” he warned.
He emphasized the urgent need for population evaluations, identification of population groups, establishment of sanctuaries and habitat restoration to conserve the population of the remaining Indian wolf.
“All this cannot happen without an evaluation of the appropriate population and identify key areas of the habitat,” he said, recognizing that the government has not received the necessary attention or wildlife or wildlife organizations.
Mohammad Kabir, who directs the Wildlife Ecology Laboratory at Haripur University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, emphasized that wolves kill a large number of cattle, which is an important factor in the conflict of human life.
“To mitigate the conflict, conservation management programs must include cattle insurance campaigns, vaccination and awareness,” Kabir told Anadolu.
These measures, he explained, would help reduce the mortality of livestock due to the disease and prevent the retaliation of the murders of wolves by farmers who suffer economic losses.
Paper of the wolves in the equilibrium of the ecosystem
Pakistan contains more than 23,000 square kilometers (8,880 square miles) of adequate wolf habitat, extended through remote and inaccessible areas that are connected by natural corridors, according to Kabir.
Sharifuddin Baloch, chief conservative of the Department of Wildlife of Baluchistan, said the Government declared several national parks and hunting reserves as protected areas for the Indian wolf in an effort to preserve its population.
“The Indian wolf has already been designated as a species protected in Baluchistan and the rest of Pakistan. However, conservation efforts have not yielded the desired results due to continuous murder, climate change and the predatory behavior of the wolves, “Baloch explained.
“Conservation efforts have produced satisfactory results in protected areas, but have been largely ineffective in other regions due to the current human life conflict,” he added.
One of the main reasons behind this conflict, he said, is the way the wolves hunt the cattle.
“They attack in packages and kill several animals at the same time, unlike other carnivores that go only to a couple or a couple of food animals. This makes them the number one enemy of farmers and shepherds, ”said Baloch.
Cattle is a main source of livelihood in the rural Pakistan, particularly in Baluchistan, where the murders in retaliation of the wolves are common.
“The vast Wolf Patrol areas also make it difficult to protect them from human encounters and other dangers,” he added.
Kabir, the wildlife researcher, emphasized the critical role of the wolves in the regulation of prey populations and the maintenance of ecosystem balance.
“The wolves are among the less studied carnivores in Pakistan and have been largely ignored in research and conservation programs. Like the main predators in their habitats, they regulate the population of other dam species, ”he said.
“Its absence would lead to an increase without control in prey populations, causing plenty, habitat degradation, resources competence and, ultimately, the collapse of prey populations,” he warned.
He added that a decrease in lobos populations could also lead to an increase in smaller predators, further interrupting ecological balance.
“As predators, wolves help control the spread of the disease by attacking the animals of sick, old and weak dam. Without them, the disease could spread more rapidly among prey populations, ”he said.
