Did you know that there’s a Himalayan wolf? It’s an animal that’s visibly distinct from its European cousin and may just be the most ancient wolf lineage. But this animal is critically endangered, and now researchers are showing where this wolf can be found and how efforts can be made to help it.
The Himalayan wolf is much smaller than the European wolf. It has an unusually long muzzle, stumpy legs and distinct white coloration around its throat, chest, belly and inner parts of the limbs. It also has very “woolly” body fur, which has given it the common name of the “woolly wolf.”
Populations of the woolly wolf, though, are suffering heavy mortality. In this latest study, the researchers conducted formal and informal interviews with about 400 local herders, livestock owners, nomads and village elite to find out about the status of the human-wolf conflict in Nepal. The researchers found that the wolves were perceived as a threat to local livelihoods and were often killed as a means to discourage hunting of livestock.