ETHIOPIAN WOLVES

Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme – Tier 2 Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

Found only in a handful of scattered mountainous habitats in Ethiopia, the remaining global population of 500 adult Ethiopian wolves are at risk of extinction due to a range of reasons Ethiopia has the fastest growing human population in Africa, which puts significant pressure on the natural environment. The highlands of Ethiopia, where the remaining wolves are found, have high rainfall and fertile soils, meaning people are attracted to the area to farm and habitat is lost to agriculture Furthermore, Ethiopian wolves are susceptible to pathogens – such as rabies – transmitted from domestic dogs. Ethiopian wolves are also at risk from several other threats including retaliatory killings when the wolves predate livestock, road kills, as well as inbreeding and hybridisation with domestic dogs.

The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme carries out a variety of conservation activities aimed at protecting this threatened species, including population monitoring, disease control, community education, habitat protection, capacity building and research