Indian Wolf Assessed Separately by IUCN, Rated Vulnerable
Why in the news
In a first, IUCN treated the Indian wolf as its own entry, apart from the gray wolf group. It may be a distinct species in the Canis genus, which lifts its conservation priority.
Key facts
- Population: around 3,093 in India and Pakistan.
- Red List status: Vulnerable, with a falling trend.
- Threats: habitat loss and fragmentation, persecution and retaliatory killings, farm and herding conflict.
Exam angle
- Scientific name: Canis lupus pallipes.
- Range: India and Pakistan.