Species File: Exploring India’s biodiversity, one species at a time.
Across India’s semi-arid grasslands and scrublands, a carnivore roams and howls. An apex predator, it keeps herbivore populations in check. But as its habitats shrink and human presence grows, this carnivore is beginning to change how it lives and moves across the landscape.
The Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) has been in the news recently after a series of suspected attacks on humans in the Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh, echoing similar incidents reported in 2024.
Understanding wolf behaviour is becoming increasingly important, as shrinking habitats bring people and wolves into closer contact and raise the risk of conflict.
The Indian wolf is a genetically distinct subspecies and possibly the oldest surviving wolf lineage. While the data on wolves in India remains insufficient, a 2022 study found that the country’s wolf population could be as small as 2,500 to 3,800 individuals. In India, it is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, providing the highest level of protection, prohibiting trade, hunting and poaching.
Researchers also note that limited research on Indian wolf populations hinders effective conservation strategies.
The loss of grasslands and scrublands poses a serious threat to the Indian wolf, leading to behavioural changes such as increased livestock predation due to declining natural prey. Wolves have also been observed suppressing their howls near human settlements and interbreeding with free-ranging dogs.
In an earlier Mongabay-India story published in 2024, Sougata Sadhukhan, an assistant professor at the Institute of Environment Education and Research, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune, said, “It is crucial to grasp these intricate changes, not solely to preserve wolves but also to safeguard their ecological melody and the wild symphony they contribute to.”
Read more about the Indian wolf in our stories on changing howl patterns, how Indigenous traditions shape wolf survival, and the need for region-specific wolf conservation strategies.
Banner image: The Indian wolf. Image by Vadyarupal via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
Credits
