FERAL DOGS PUSH INDIAN GREY WOLVES

GS-3: Environment and Biodiversity Conservation

Key Highlights

• The Kadbanwadi grassland in Maharashtra’s Pune district, home to the Indian grey wolf, is witnessing an alarming decline in the wolf population.
• From 70 wolves (2016) to just 6 (2024), the fall is attributed largely to threats from feral dogs, which hunt in packs and spread canine distemper virus (CDV).
• CDV and cross-breeding between wolves and stray dogs are diluting genetic purity and causing serious health threats.
• Wolves play a critical ecological role as apex predators, regulating prey populations and maintaining ecosystem balance.
• Shepherd communities traditionally coexisted with wolves but now fear rising stray dog attacks on livestock and people.

Detailed Insights

• Wolves are protected under Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act, granting them the highest legal safeguard.
• CDV, a highly contagious disease, spreads from infected dogs to wolves and can cause fatal immune system collapse.
• Forest Department’s reluctance to cull stray dogs stems from fear of backlash by animal rights activists; vaccination is being considered but is hard to implement.
• The practice of abandoning sick livestock and uncontrolled dog populations near villages contributes to the crisis.
• Residents and conservationists report a disruption of traditional wolf-human coexistence, with wolves now rarer and less socially accepted.
• Conservationists like Mihir Godbole stress that rising dog populations, declining traditional grazing practices, and ecosystem fragmentation are key contributors.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved

• Canine Distemper Virus (CDV): A contagious and often fatal disease affecting carnivores, spreading via body fluids or contaminated materials.
• Hybridisation and Genetic Dilution: Cross-breeding between dogs and wolves can reduce wild wolf traits and impair survival fitness.

Significance

• This crisis highlights the urgent need for integrated wildlife-dog conflict management, habitat preservation, and responsible livestock disposal practices.
• Also underlines the tension between animal rights activism and biodiversity conservation, especially in buffer zones.

Reflects a broader challenge for grassland ecosystem conservation, which receives less attention than forests or wetlands in India.