Recently Himalayan Wolf (Canis lupus chanco) has been assessed for the first time in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List and categorised as ‘Vulnerable’.

Background

In 2018, a study confirmed that the Himalayan or Woolly wolf was a genetically unique clade/lineage/race of wolves, which had to be conserved before it went extinct.

India is also home to the Indian/Common/Peninsular Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) that is found in the plains and the Deccan Plateau.

In northern India, Himalayan Wolf is found in the Union Territory of Ladakh and in the Lahaul and Spiti region in northeastern Himachal Pradesh.

In China, the Himalayan wolf lives on the Tibetan Plateau in the provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Tibet, and western Sichuan.

Major threats to Himalayan Wolf

It is illegally hunted for trade in its fur and body parts including paws, tongues, heads, and other parts.

Hybridisation with dogs was an emerging threat to the Himalayan wolf population in Ladakh and Spiti.

Depredation conflict is a major conservation concern, given a seasonal or permanent high livestock abundance in wolf habitats that often form summer pastureland for livestock grazing. 

Current Conservation status

IUCN: Vulnerbale

CITES: Appendix I

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

About IUCN

It is a global union composed of both government as well as civil society organisations.

Its Secretariat is in Gland, Switzerland and current Director-General is Dr Grethel Aguilar.

IUCN’s Red List is a key indicator for the Sustainable Development Goals and Aichi Targets.

IUCN’s Red List

This list acts as major global resource for assessing the risk of extinction among animals, fungi, and plant species and serves as a crucial indicator of global biodiversity health.

9 categories in the IUCN red are as follows:-