The Himalayan wolf is considered a rare and endangered species. It is classified vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. Although the Himalayan wolf is found in the country, there is limited information on its ecology and distribution. The exact number of the species in the country is not known. This was highlighted in research by officials from the Nature Conservation Division and the World Wildlife Fund office.
The study found that the Himalayan wolves are found mainly in the high alpine areas of Wangchuck Centennial National Park, Jigme Dorji National Park, and Jigme Khesar Strict Nature Reserve. They were spotted across 32 locations in these national parks.
The wolves’ presence was recorded using camera-traps, which were originally set up for snow leopard survey.
The study also revealed that the wolves depend primarily on blue sheep as their prey.
“Wolf as a large carnivore is very important in maintaining ecological integrity and ecosystem functioning. Wolves are a very important part of the ecosystem. In our country, in the upper Himalayas, along with the snow leopards, they act as a natural predator and they help keep the prey population in check. It prevents overgrazing, which would otherwise disrupt the delicate balance that we have between plants and animal lives,” said Tashi Dhendup, Head of Bhutan Tiger Centre.
He added that the population of the Himalayan wolves is expected to decline due to lack of conservation actions and ongoing threats such as human-wildlife conflict and climate change.
Currently, there are no conservation strategies in place. However, efforts are underway to collaborate with international wolf experts to gather more information on its ecology and distribution.
“The Himalayan Wolf, across the range are very less known. In Bhutan, we might have just one or two studies that have looked at human-wolf conflict but not really into their ecology and distribution. We are trying to collaborate with some wolf experts based in Europe and firstly we want to verify the genetic lineage of wolf found in Bhutan. Right now, we say that the wolf found in Bhutan is a Himalayan wolf but we have not done any genetic study to confirm that. We also want to look at their ecology, threats, and others,” added Tashi Dendup.
There are fewer than 4,000 Himalayan wolves found globally.
Deki Lhazom
Edited by Tshering Zam
