By Natalie Blachford | Project Leader
USING MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO TRACK RARE WOLVES
Thank you for choosing to support Ethiopian Wolves, the world’s rarest canid.
With your generous support, Born Free’s colleagues at the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP) are now deploying GPS collars, in Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains, to help monitor these endangered wolves.
After Bale Mountains, the spectacular Simien Mountains – in the north of the country and including the highest point in Ethiopia, Ras Dejen – are home to the second most important population of Ethiopian wolves. The Simien Mountains are a World Heritage Site and the inspiration behind the wolves’ scientific name, Canis simensis.
Compared to wolves in Bale, which are diurnal (active during the day) and relatively easy to find, Simien wolves are notoriously shy and difficult to observe. Interestingly, these wolves don’t reproduce as well as those in Bale: litter sizes are always small — seldom more than three pups — and several packs do not produce a litter each year. Wolf numbers therefore remain small.
In addition, some areas in Simien Mountains withstood several months of human conflict until recently, which may have had an impact on the wolves. To find out more, and after obtaining approval from the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, EWCP has launched a GPS collaring study of the wolves in Simien Mountains. Born Free will report back with news on this exciting new venture. Watch this space...
Thank you for your continued support.
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