The Status of Nepal's Mammals: The National Red List Series - IUCN

59
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
29) Canis lupus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies Canis lupus lupus
Common Names
Grey Wolf (English); Bwasho (Nepali)
Species Description
Pelage colour can vary greatly between light grey/
white right through to black, but most often is
grey fur intermingled with longer black guard hair.
Undersides are paler. Longer thinner legs than
wolf-like domesticated dogs.
Species Ecology
The Grey Wolf occurs in high-elevation scrubby
lands. It is adapted for hunting on relatively open
grounds. The Grey Wolf’s diet mainly comprises of
large ungulates including Blue Sheep, Tibetan Argali,
Tibetan Gazelle, Himalayan Tahr and Kiang. They are
also capable of killing fully-grown mules and horses
and cause significant damage to livestock
populations (goats and sheep), especially in high
elevation remote pasture in Upper Mustang.
Females become sexually mature at two to three
years of age, producing litters of between two to
four pups after a gestation period of nine weeks.
Grey Wolves live up to 13 years in the wild, and
16 years in captivity.
Conservation Status
Global: Least Concern
National: Critically Endangered C2a(i); D
Rationale for assessment: The Grey Wolf (Canis lupus)
has been assessed as Critically Endangered under
Criterion C and D as less than 50 mature individuals
have been observed to persist in Nepal. Although
wolves do occur across the border in China (Tibet),
it is not known whether or how frequently
cross-border movements occur. However, as the
threats to this species have not yet been effectively
addressed and given the small population, threats
such as indiscriminate poisoning, canine diseases,
poaching and retaliatory killings could easily drive
this species to local extinction and prevent
re-colonisation from nearby areas.
Legal Status
CITES Appendix I
Listed in the National Parks and Wildlife
Conservation Act 2029 (1973) as protected priority
species.
National Population Size
Total: 30-50
Trend: Decreasing
There have been no recent scientific studies on this
species in Nepal, however it is estimated that there
may be as few as 30 to 50 individuals remaining in
Nepal.
National Distribution
Currently this species is known only from Annapurna
Conservation Area (Upper Mustang), Dolpa, Manaslu
Conservation Area, Kanchanjunga Conservation
Area and Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve.
Distribution outside Nepal
Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada,
China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,