Help The Ethiopian Wolf, The World's Rarest Canid

Great news for Terefe the survivor!

Thank you for choosing to support Ethiopian Wolves, the world’s rarest canid.

In the hills of Shehano, perched in the slopes of the Simien Mountains, lives a unique wolf: Terefe. He is the first ever Ethiopian wolf to be nursed back to health and released back to the wild after a life-threatening injury. Following his successful rescue and rehabilitation in 2020 by EWCP staff and associates, we have closely followed Terefe’s journey since his release, thanks to his Lotek Litetrack collar. Though he failed to re-join his natal pack, Terefe survived well enough on his own as he roamed northwards, eventually settling near the village of Shehano. Here, he was joined within a few months by a young female wolf, and the Terefe pack was formed.

Now, nearly two years after his injury, we are thrilled to share the news that Terefe is a father!

As part of their regular breeding season monitoring, Wolf Monitors Getachew, Jejaw and Andualem of the Simien team set out for Shehano and met up with community guard Chilot to check on Terefe and his mate. After an hour’s search across the hillside, the team were delighted to catch sight of one young wolf pup close to a den and had the pleasure of watching it play happily with its mother.

Ethiopian wolves typically have litters of two to six, so the monitors watched closely over two days for signs of any littermates but couldn’t tell if the single pup had siblings. Not to be dissuaded, a couple of weeks later Getachew led his team on a second trip where their perseverance was rewarded - they were glad to report a second, very shy, pup, completing the family of four.

Even though the monitors keep their distance to so as not to disturb the wolves, the pack is on high alert and they frequently call to each other. They are very skittish and alert to the presence of people, but each wolf looks in good physical condition and they are well-situated in suitable habitat.

We’d hoped saving Terefe would allow him to rejoin his family and were worried when this didn’t happen. Instead, he has gone on to forge his own pack and sire a new generation, an unexpected but very welcome outcome. Two new lives have begun from one saved – a promising success for a species for which every wolf counts.

Thank you for your continued support.

Links:

• Ethiopian Wolf Conservation

Thank you for choosing to support Ethiopian Wolves, the world’s rarest canid.

After months of uncertainty, the New Year saw the Born Free-supported Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP) take the first steps towards resuming work as normal. With the spread of armed conflict, operations in northern Ethiopia were suspended and field staff pulled out for their safety, but now as the situation stabilises the team have been able to cautiously set out into the mountains once again. The safety of staff remains the highest priority, as the team begin to check up on the wolves in the ranges they been unable to access in recent months.

One such location is the Menz Guassa Community Conservation Area, some 250km north of Addis, which was ravaged by fire just a few short months ago. Fearing irreparable damage and loss of animal life, Wolf Monitor Mengistu visited the habitat of three packs, Regreg, Sefed Meda and Chichira Meda, where much of the land has been scorched by the flames. But despite the widespread burning, new guassa growth has been spotted shooting up from the charred ground in a clear and promising sign of the grasslands’ swift recovery. The local community lodge was also spared the fire and thankfully still stands.

The good news doesn’t stop there: Mengistu successfully located the three packs and was delighted to report all three are breeding. He spotted two puppies, just a couple of months old, stretching their legs in the early morning outside the den of the Chichira Meda pack, and confirmed that three puppies have been born to the Sefed Meda pack. This is most welcome news after such an anxious wait to know how the wolves have fared through the conflict. The landscape and its wildlife are resilient, inspiring our team to remain strong through the struggles and hopeful for the days to come.

Thank you for your continued support.

Links:

• Ethiopian Wolf Conservation
• Adopt the Ethiopian wolf family