Conservation

This map indicates the population of Ethiopian wolves. What's colored in black shows the existing wolf habitat and the red marks the lost suitable habitat.

Current Distribution

To date Ethiopian wolves can be found in Ethiopia, where they are the endemic species in the area. They are the only known wolf species in Africa. But their population size has been decreasing over the years. Currently there are fewer than 500 wolves in the wild.

IUCN Status: Endangered

The Ethiopian Wolf was listed in the IUCN list of endangered species back in 2011 and the population continues to decrease.

Reason for the Decline of Population

The surrounding land from which the wolves call home are being used as farmlands and livestock which is causing habitat loss for the Ethiopian Wolf. Another dangerous threat to Ethiopian Wolves is that they are becoming the host of diseases such as rabies and canine distemper virus (CDV). This is being contracted by contact with domestic dogs in the area.

The Ethiopian Wolf is categorized in the "Red List" of endangered species in the IUCN.

This Graph shows the decline of Ethiopian wolf due to rabies and CDV throughout the years.

Conservation Efforts

The efforts being done to save and maintain this species population is by first increasing the awareness of the situation to locals in the community, experimenting with the biodiversity conservation by researching the environmental degradation between rodents and wolves in a specific site. And finally by establishing a permanent monitoring system for observe any emergent threats and keep notes of the wolf mortality rate.

Conservation Groups

Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP)

The mission behind EWCP is to maintain the population of Ethiopian wolves in order to protect the Afroalpine endemic species. They monitor the wolf population, administer vaccines to help fight off rabies and canine distemper in this species and help publicize the importance of Ethiopian wolves to the ecosystem.
https://www.ethiopianwolf.org/

Wildlife Conservation Network

This group helps raise money in order to fund the EWCP. The money helps support the teams, pays for vaccines and supplies needed to protect the Ethiopian wolf.
https://wildnet.org/species/ethiopian-wolf/

Ethiopian Wolf Project

This groups mission is to document the lives of the Ethiopian Wolf through images and help bring to light the importance of this species. They Track the day to day life of the Ethiopian wolf and help others like the WCN (Wildlife Conservation Network) get funding to help this species.
https://www.ethiopianwolfproject.com/

Why must Ethiopian Wolves be Protected?

Ethiopian wolves are a keystone species in their ecosystem. They keep a balance in the prey population which is essential for the food chain with them being the top predator in their ecosystem. Without them their would be a shift in this ecosystem and an abundant amount of rodents which would cause a decrease in vegetation because more rodent involves more consumption of vegetation which would lead to habitat destruction. Not only that but this is the only wolf species found in Africa and it is a rare species that is only found in Ethiopia, no where else in the world.

References:

Sillero-Zubiri, C (IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group), & Marino, J. (2011, March 15). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org/fr/species/3748/10051312
Emily. (2017, September 13). Ethiopian wolves. People's Trust for Endangered Species. Retrieved from https://ptes.org/grants/worldwide-projects/ethiopian-wolves/#:~:text=The%20endangered%20wolves%20are%20threatened,a%20short%20space%20of%20time.
Welcome to the Ethiopian Wolf Project. Ethiopian Wolf Project. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ethiopianwolfproject.com/
Ethiopian wolf archives. Wildlife Conservation Network. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://wildnet.org/species/ethiopian-wolf/

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