Indian Grey Wolf | 11 Jun 2025

Source: DTE 

Indian grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) was sighted near the Yamuna floodplains in Delhi, marking the rare & first sighting in Delhi since the 1940s.

Indian Grey Wolf: 

• About: The Indian Grey Wolf is a subspecies of the Grey Wolf native to the Indian subcontinent and Southwest Asia. 
  • It is nocturnal and apex predator that hunts in small packs and is less vocal compared to other wolf subspecies. 
• Appearance:  A carnivore of the Canidae family, the Indian Grey Wolf is intermediate in size between the Tibetan and Arabian wolves and lacks a thick winter coat, adapting to warmer climates. 
• Habitat & Distribution:  From Israel in the west to the Indian subcontinent in the east, inhabiting scrublands, grasslands, pastoral agro-ecosystems and semi-arid agro-ecosystems in warmer regions. 
• Protection Status:  
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I.  
• Threats: The species faces several threats, including the loss of grasslands due to agricultural and industrial expansion, habitat modification, depletion of natural prey, and the spread of diseases from feral dogs.