Natural Environment Blog

The tuatara's ancestors roamed the earth with the dinosaurs 225 million years ago.

The tuatara is the only survivor of a group of reptiles that roamed the earth at the same time as dinosaurs - about 225 million years ago.

There are two species of tuatara, both of which are endemic to New Zealand. The scientific name for the two species are Cook Strait Tuatara (scientific name: Sphenodon punctatus) and Brothers Island Tuatara (scientific name: Sphenodon guntheri). 

Appearance

The tuatara is a greenish, brown reptile that grows to between 50 cm and 80 cm long.

It has distinctive soft spines along the top of its head and down its backbone. Although it looks much like a lizard, tuatara is actually the only surviving member of the order Sphenodontia. 

Tuatara don’t have external ears but they are able to hear. 

The tuatara is famous for its “third eye” or pineal or parietal eye located in the middle of its forehead. The eye has a small lens and retina, but it becomes covered by a thin layer of opaque scales about 4 to 6 months after birth.

The purpose of this parietal eye is unknown, but some scientists have suggested that it is used as a light sensor as opposed to forming visual objects. 

Habitat and Distribution

The tuatara is endemic to New Zealand.

Up until a thousand years ago, tuatara occurred in both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Now, the tuatara can now only be found on islands in the North Island.

Tuatara tend to live in burrows in native forest, but can often be found occupying abandoned sheep pasture. They will often share burrows with seabirds such as petrels and shearwaters.

Growth

Tuatara has the slowest growth rate of any reptile. It can take as many as 30 to 35 years for a tuatara to reach full size. 

Tuatara usually lives to around 60 or 70, but they have been known to live to more than 100. In fact, one tuatara was seen mating last year at the ripe old age of 111.

Diet

Tuatara’s main diet consists of Insects, spiders, earthworms, snails and small lizards. Tuatara have also been known to kill and eat small seabirds and their eggs as well as young tuatara.

Behavior

Tuatara are mainly nocturnal and remain in their burrows during the day and prowl at night. They tend to have a lower body temperature than their environment, and they are active at lower body temperatures than most reptiles. They often come out during the day to bask in the sun.

Although they don’t actually go into hibernation, tuatara will often go six months without food during winter. 

Ancestory

The tuatara’s ancestory dates back to the dinosaur time. Ancestors of the tuatara and many other sphenodons were roaming the world 225 million years ago. This was about the time the first dinosaurs appeared. 

All other sphenodons disappeared around 65 million years ago and exist only as fossils. As a result, scientists often refer to the tuatara as a “living fossil”.

Tuatara Mating & Breeding

Tuatara reach sexual maturity at between 10 to 20 years of age. 

The female, on average, lays between 5 and 18 eggs only once every 4 years, which gives it the longest reproductive cycle of any reptile.

Mating season for tuatara is between January and March. Female tuatara then lay their eggs between October and December.

Hatchlings appear between 12 to 15 months after the eggs were laid. To break the egg, they use their egg tooth (a sharp pointed spike at the end of the snout).

Conservation Status

For millions of years, tuatara populations thrived in New Zealand. Then over the last thousand years or so, tuatara populations declined rapidly, almost to the point of extinction.

The main culprits were introduced rats, cats, dogs, and humans. Not to mention fires and land clearing.

The tuatara, was almost wiped out by the 1700s. In fact, in 1895, the tuatara was one of the first animals in the world to become fully protected by law.

Since then, significant tuatara populations have survived on 32 remote islands around New Zealand. Stephens Island/Takapourewa is home to about 50,000 tuatara, which represents about 90% of the tuatara population.

Since 1996, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has listed the Brothers Island Tuatara as Vulnerable and the Cook Strait Tuatara as Lower Risk/least concern, although IUCN has also stated that this needs updating.

With less than 60 remaining, the Javan Rhinoceros is probably the world's most critically endangered large mammal. This photo shows a young Javan Rhino shot dead by a hunter in 1895 in Ujung Kulon National Park, Java, Indonesia.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has just released its list of threatened species to watch in 2009.

The list, entitled 9 to Watch in 2009, is a list of animals that could be on the verge of extinction.

Included in the list are well-known animals such as tigers, rhinos, elephants and pandas.

WWF says that these species are at greater risk than ever before because of poaching, habitat loss and climate change-related threats.

Tom Dillon, WWF’s senior vice president for Field Programs warns that these creatures could become extinct if we don’t do something to save them.

“If we don’t get serious about saving these spectacular species, it’s quite likely that many won’t be around in the years to come,” he said.  

“The potential loss of some familiar and beloved wildlife should be a wake-up call that immediate action must be taken if we want to live in a world with wild elephants, polar bears, and tigers.” he continued.

Mr Dillon wants to see a major effort to save these animals in 2009.

“At the dawn of the new year, our global resolution for 2009 should be to save these amazing species before it’s too late.”

The 9 Species to Watch in 2009

According to WWF, the 9 species to watch in 2009 are:

1. Javan Rhinoceros

   Population: Less than 60
   Location: Indonesia and Vietnam 

   Probably the rarest large mammal species in the world, the Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is critically endangered. Poaching and pressure from a growing human population pose greatest risk to the two protected areas where they live. 

2. Vaquita

   Population: 150
   Location: Upper Gulf of California, Mexico 

   The world’s smallest and most endangered cetacean, the Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is a tiny porpoise that is often killed in gillnets. This mammal could soon be extinct.     

   Other names for Vaquita include “Cochito”, “Gulf of California Harbor Porpoise”, “Gulf of California Porpoise”, “Gulf Porpoise”, “Hafenschweinswal”, and “Marsouin du Golfe de Californie”.

3. Cross River Gorilla

   Population: 300. 
   Location: Nigeria and Cameroon.  

   Possibly the world’s rarest ape, the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) was once thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the 1980s. This primate, a subspecies of the western gorilla, lives in the few remaining forest patches of southeastern Nigeria and western Cameroon.    

   But as its forests are opened up by timber companies, hunters move in. Pressure on forests for farming and logging, and on gorillas for bushmeat, is intense in this area.

4. Sumatran Tiger

   Population: 400-500
   Location: Sumatra, Indonesia   

   The Javan and Balinese tigers are already extinct and the Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is not far behind. Accelerating deforestation and rampant poaching could push the Sumatran tiger to extinction within a short space of time.

   Tigers are poached for their body parts, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, while skins are also highly prized.  

5. North Pacific Right Whale

   Population: Unknown, but less than 500
   Location: Northern Pacific, U.S., Russia and Japan

   The North Pacific Right Whale (Eubalaena japonica) is one of the world’s rarest cetaceans and was almost hunted to extinction until the 1960s. The large mammal is rarely sighted and has a poor prognosis for survival due to collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing nets and the prospect of offshore oil and gas development in Alaska’s Bristol Bay. 

6. Black-Footed Ferret

   Population: 500 breeding adults
   Location: Northern Great Plains, U.S. and Canada

   Found only in the Great Plains, the Black-Footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes) is one of the most endangered mammals in North America. This is because its primary prey, the prairie dog, has been nearly completely wiped out by ranchers who consider it a nuisance.

   The Black-Footed Ferret is actually recovering from a near brush with extinction. In 1986, it was thought that only 50 individuals remained. Since then, captive breeding and reintroduction has showed signs that the species is slowly recovering. 

7. Borneo Pygmy Elephant

   Population: Perhaps fewer than 1,000
   Location: Borneo, Malaysia

   The Borneo Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) is a subspecies of the Asian Elephant and is found in northern Borneo. The smallest of all elephants, it must compete with logging and agriculture for space in the lowland forests of Borneo.  

   The Borneo Pygmy Elephant is also known as simply the Borneo Elephant.

8. Giant Panda

   Population: 1,600
   Location: China

   The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces.

   Restricted and degraded habitat is the greatest threat to the giant panda. It once lived in lowland areas, but farming, forest clearing, and other development now restrict the giant panda to the mountains. Also, its forest habitat in the mountainous areas of southwest China has become fragmented, creating small and isolated populations.

9. Polar Bear

   Population: 20,000-25,000
   Location: Arctic

   The polar bear (Ursus maritimus), is the world’s largest predator found on land. It’s native habitat is the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding seas. 

   The greatest threat to the polar bear today is climate change. Designated a threatened species by the U.S., if warming trends in the Arctic continue at the current pace, polar bears could become extinct within a century.
    

To find out more about what WWF is doing to protect these animals, see the 9 Species to Watch in 2009.

Scientists are excited by the discovery of a new Tonkin snub-nosed monkey population in northwestern Vietnam. Photo: Tilo Nadler.

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has discovered a new population of the critically endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus) in northwest Vietnam.

A team of biologists, led by FFI, observed between 15 and 20 individuals after a tip off from locals prompted them to visit the area.

The monkeys were found in forests near the Tung Vai Commune by the Chinese border. This makes it the first known population in Vietnam’s Quan Ba District.

FFI is excited by the fact that some of the monkeys were infants - indicating that the population is breeding, and therefore (hopefully) increasing.

Reviving the Species’ Population

“All recent indications suggest that we have a fantastic opportunity to secure this population and significantly increase the chances of survival of this species,” said Paul Insua-Cao, FFI’s Vietnam primate programme manager.

But conservation biologist Le Khac Quyet, who observed the monkeys, says urgent action is needed.

“When I saw the Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys in Tung Vai Commune I was overjoyed.” said Quyet, who is also credited with discovering another 70-strong population of the species in Khau Ca forest in 2002.

“This new discovery further underlines the importance of learning more about the Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys’ range and distribution. There is still time to save this unique species, but with just 200 or so left and threats still strong, we need to act now” 

Hopeful of More Sightings

And FFI would no doubt be hopeful to find more of this primate species in the area. Reports from locals suggest that there is also another, larger population of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey yet to be seen by the FFI team.

Conservation Status

Until the late 1980s, the monkey was believed to be extinct. Since then, only around 200 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys have been known to exist.

The monkey is currently listed as “Critically Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 1996 when it was upgraded from “Endangered”.

Video Footage

Below is rare video footage of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey:

Tuna is at risk of extinction following ICCAT's decision to ignore advice from its own scientists, say conservation groups.

A decision by an international organization charged with protecting tuna has been slammed by conservation groups for doing the exact opposite.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), a fishery organization responsible for the conservation of tunas and tuna-like species, recently implemented a catch quota as much as 60% higher than its own scientists had recommended.

ICCAT’s own scientists had recommended a total allowable catch (TAC) of 8,500 to 15,000 tonnes per year. ICCAT ignored this advice and opted for a TAC of 22,000 for 2009.

The catch quota essentially places a restriction on how much the tuna industry is allowed to catch. Without a strict quota, tuna, known for fetching high prices, would almost certainly become extinct.

Obviously, the extinction of tuna would lead to the collapse of the tuna industry so, any ICCAT decision has a direct impact on the future of tuna fisheries, as well as the survival of the species itself.

Greenpeace’s Response

Greenpeace says ICCAT has lived up to it’s reputation as an “international disgrace” and has labelled the decision as “Shameless. Disastrous.” 

It says that this year’s annual meeting in Marrakech “looked more like a bazaar, in which buyers haggled over the last remaining tuna, than an international meeting”.

Greenpeace blames the decision on the European Union.

The European Union, representing the majority of Mediterranean countries with interests in the bluefin tuna fishery,  bullied other parties in the meeting into agreeing to management proposals which completely fail to follow the advice of ICCAT’s own scientific body to substantially reduce fishing and protect the species’ spawning grounds.

“The game is over – ICCAT has missed its last chance to save the bluefin tuna from stock collapse,” said Sebastian Losada, Greenpeace Spain Oceans Campaigner, who attended the Marrakech meeting. “Bluefin tuna has become an endangered species because of ICCAT mismanagement. It’s time to take the fishery out of their hands and look to Conventions like CITES to impose trade restrictions on the species.”

“These past seven days have demonstrated that ICCAT is a farce,” Losada concluded.

Further, Greenpeace has demanded a closure of the fishery until a proper recovery plan is in place. In particular, Greenpeace wants to see:

• a Total Allowed Catch (TAC) in line with the scientific advice
• a seasonal closure covering the months of May, June and July
• the establishment of marine reserves to protect the bluefin tuna spawning grounds

WWF’s Response

WWF has labelled the decision “a disgrace”.

“This is not a decision, it is a disgrace which leaves WWF little choice but to look elsewhere to save this fishery from itself,” said Dr Sergi Tudela, head of WWF Mediterranean’s fisheries programme.

“Any alternative is preferable to an organization which boasts of its respect for science but where in a decade catches have gone from twice to four times the scientific recommendations, with massive legal and illegal overfishing. It is clear that the only thing to slow the fishery with ICCAT at the helm is running out of fish.”

As with Greenpeace, WWF has been pushing for a suspension in the tuna fishery. This option has also been endorsed by the recent World Conservation Congress and recommended by ICCAT’s own internal high-level review. 

WWF has also been pushing for more protection of bluefin tuna.

“WWF will also actively push for a listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in the hope that stringent trade controls tied explicitly to the survival of the species will turn around the half-hearted attempt at fisheries management shown here by ICCAT and especially its European contingent.” says Dr Tudela.

An Ongoing Problem

This is not the first time ICCAT has ignored advice from its own scientists.

In 2006, ICCAT set a TAC of 29,500 tonnes, despite its own scientists recommending a sustainable limit of 15,000 tonnes. Since then, ICCAT’s scientists estimate that actual tuna catches in 2007 were 61,000 tonnes.

Following the concerns of the international community, ICCAT appointed a panel to conduct an independent review of ICCAT [PDF document].

The panel had the following to say about ICCAT’s performance:

• Fundamentally ICCAT’s performance to date does not meet its objectives for several of the species under its purview.
• ICCAT’s failure to meet its objectives is due in large part to the lack of compliance by many of its CPCs.
• CPCs have consistently failed to provide timely and accurate data and to implement monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) arrangements on nationals and national companies.
• The judgement of the international community will be based largely on how ICCAT manages fisheries on bluefin tuna (BFT). ICCAT CPCs’ performance in managing fisheries on bluefin tuna particularly in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea is widely regarded as an international disgrace and the international community which has entrusted the management of this iconic species to ICCAT deserve better performance from ICCAT than it has received to date.
• There are concerns about transparency within ICCAT both in decision making and in resource allocation. 
• Most of the problems and challenges ICCAT faces would be simple to fix if CPCs developed the political will to fully implement and adhere to the letter and spirit of the rules and recommendations of ICCAT.

The review found that ICCAT has failed to meet its objectives, but blames this on its members (CPCs).

A simple reading of the state of the stocks under ICCAT’s purview would suggest that ICCAT has failed in its mandate as a number of these key fish stocks are well below MSY. However, the Panel is of the view that rather than ICCAT failing in its mandate it is ICCAT that has been failed by its members (CPCs).

The review concluded that the members’ attitudes need to change.

…the problems of ICCAT would be readily fixed or considerably improved if CPCs changed their attitude towards implementation of and adherence to the rules and recommendations of ICCAT and the adoption of robust Monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) processes.

The newly described Typhlops tycherus is the largest blind snake in Mesoamerica. Photo: Josiah Townsend.

A blind snake previously unknown to science has been discovered in Honduras and described in the latest edition of the Zootaxa journal. 

The new species, called Typhlops tycherus, was found dead at the side of the road in February this year.

The snake was found in the Zona de Amortiguamiento (buffer zone) of Parque Nacional Montaña de Santa Bárbara, Departamento de Santa Bárbara, Honduras.

At a total length of 371 mm, the Typhlops tycherus is the largest blind snake in Mesoamerica.

According to the authors, other factors that differentiate this snake from other Mesoamerican Typhlops is that it has 22–22–22 scales around the body and it has a dark brownish gray dorsum with a well-defined pale yellowish gray to immaculate white ventral coloration.

The snake was described by Josiah Townsend, Larry Wilson, Lorraine Ketzler, and Ileara Luque-Montes.

The Waitaha penguin's extinction 500 years ago appears to have made way for the yellow-eyed penguin (above). Unfortunately, the yellow-eyed penguin is now an endangered species. Photo: Christian Mehlführer.

A species of penguin, previously unknown to science, has recently been identified in New Zealand more than 500 years since it became extinct. 

The species, called the Waitaha penguin (Megadyptes waitaha), is thought to have become extinct shortly after Polynesian settlement.

“It is estimated that the so-called Waitaha penguin became extinct between 1300 and 1500AD, soon after Polynesian settlement,” said Sanne Boessenkool, University of Otago PhD student and leader of the project.

Enter The Yellow Eyed Penguin

One of the most significant findings from the research is that, the penguin’s extinction appears to have made way for the yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes).

With an estimated 7000 remaining in New Zealand, the yellow eyed penguin is one of the most endangered penguin species on the planet.  

“Our findings demonstrate that yellow-eyed penguins on mainland New Zealand are not a declining remnant of a previous abundant population, but came from the sub-Antarctic relatively recently and replaced the extinct Waitaha Penguin,” said team member Dr Jeremy Austin, deputy director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA.

“Previous analysis of fossil records and anecdotal evidence suggested that the yellow-eyed penguin was more abundant and widespread in the past, but it now appears they have only been around for 500 years,” he continued.

The presence of the Waitaha penguin appears to have limited the yellow eyed penguin’s population to the South Island of New Zealand.

“Competition between the two species previously prevented the yellow-eyed penguin from expanding northwards but environmental changes in the predator population, such as the severe decline of sea lions, may have facilitated their colonisation in the South Island” Dr Austin said. 

Relevance To Climate Change

The research has reiterated the idea that some species are more adaptable to major changes, such as climate change, than others.

“What these unexpected results highlight is the dynamic nature of ecosystem change, where the loss of one species may open up opportunities for the expansion of another.” said Dr Phil Seddon, Director of the Wildlife Management Programme at University of Otago.

Dr David Penny of the Allan Wilson Center for Molecular Ecology and Evolution at Massey University said ”…it is vitally important to know how species, such as the yellow-eyed penguin, are able to respond to new opportunities.”

“It is becoming apparent that some species can respond to things like climate change, and others cannot. The more we know, the more we can help.”

Findings of the research have been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

A Rhino Rat Snake hatches from an egg at a London zoo. Photo: Ferry van Stralen.

Eight Rhino Rat Snakes have hatched in a London zoo, making it the first time a Rhino Rat Snake has bred in a European Zoo.

The snakes, which were born in the Zoological Society of London’s Reptile House, were captured on camera as they hatched. 

Three of the eight snakes have already been moved to other zoos in Europe as part of an exchange program to increase the captive population in Europe.

Appearance

Although the snakes are brownish gray in color, as they mature, they will turn into a steel gray and later into bluish green. Once they have fully matured (after about 2 years), they will turn green. There have been known cases where a specimen has remained at the subadult color (steel gray), but this is very rare.

Hatchlings start at between 300 to 350 mm in total length. Rhino Rat Snakes typically grow to between 100-120 cm in total size but sometimes up to 150 cm.

Distribution In The Wild

In the wild, the Rhino Rat Snake, is found in Northern Vietnam and southern China. The snake lives in subtropical rainforests between 300 and 1100 m elevation and has often been seen in stream valleys.

Common Names

The scientific name for the Rhino Rat Snake is Rhynchophis boulengeri. It is also commonly known as Rhinoceros Snake, Rhinoceros Snake, and Vietnamese Longnose Snake.

More than 7,000 live monitor lizards were seized during recent raids in southern Malaysia. In this photo, Wildlife and National Parks department personnel Othman Mohammad Yatim and deputy director Celescoriano Razond (right) hold up the seized monitor lizards, while the frozen parts are in the plastic bags. Photo: The Star Online.

More than 8,000 animals have been seized by authorities after a raid on two houses in the southern Malaysian state of Johar. 

The raids, which were carried out by eight members of Malaysia’s Wildlife and National Parks Department (commonly known as PERHILITAN), resulted in both live and dead animals being found. 

Animals Found

Between the two raids, the Wildlife Crime Unit seized the following animals. 

First Raid
During the first raid in Muar on November 4, the Wildlife Crime Unit seized 13 species of protected wildlife. The dead animals were found in freezers, the live animals were found in the back yard.

The seizure included the following:

• Barred eagle owl
• Spotted wood owl
• Buffy fish owl
• Crested serpent eagle
• Reticulated python
• Greater mousedeer
• Malayan porcupine
• Pangolin 
• Wild boar meat
• Bones
• Scales

Second Raid
The second raid took place three days after the first raid. The officials raided another location, this time in Segamat, where they found 7,093 clouded monitor lizards - mostly alive. The total weight of the lizards came to 35 tonnes.

Mr Rashid said that the live monitor lizards would be released into the wild.

Protected Species Destined For Restaurants

Illegal wildlife trade has been keeping authorities busy. A recent survey of restaurants and markets in southern China revealed that wildlife consumption is on the rise.

Wildlife typically fetches high prices at restaurants and markets in Vietnam, Hong Kong and China. 

“Most of these animals are sold to restaurants serving exotic animals as delicacies and some are also used for making traditional medicines,” said Mr Rashid.

One Man Arrested

Following the seizures, a 49-year-old man was charged in a magistrate’s court in Tangkak on Nov 7. The man, who is a repeat offender, is currently out on RM19,000 bail.

Datuk Abd Rasid Samsudin, PERHILITAN director general said this is the second time the man had been detained. In 2004, he was fined RM7,500 for having 182 pangolins and 1.3kg of pangolin scales.

The court hearing is due for February 20 next year.

Caspian Seal numbers have plummeted 90% over the last 100 years. The species is now officially classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The Caspian Seal was recently reclassified from “Vulnerable” to “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The reclassification occurred after scientists found that the Caspian Seal population had dropped 90 percent in the past 100 years. 

The scientists, from the University of Leeds, worked together with international partners to discover that the seal’s population has plummeted from 1 million at the start of the 20th century, to approximately 100,000 today.  

The Main Causes

The main causes of the Caspian Seal population decline is:

• Commercial hunting
• Habitat degradation
• Disease
• Pollution
• Drowning in fishing nets

Low Breeding Cycle 

Seals are known for their long breeding cycle, which will not help with reviving the population of the species.

“Each female has just one pup a year, so with numbers at such a low levels, every fertile female that dies is a nail in the coffin of the species,” said Dr Simon Goodman of Leeds’ Faculty of Biological Sciences.

He added, “We’re hoping that the seal’s change in Red List status will help raise awareness about their plight, and the many important conservation issues facing the whole Caspian ecosystem.”

Furthermore, results of 2005 and 2006 surveys published recently in the scientific journal Ambio, reveal that there are only 17,000 breeding females. Given the low survival rate of pups, this is barely enough to keep the Caspian Seal population alive.  

Also, more recent surveys in 2007 and 2008 show that since 2005, the number of pups being born has dropped 60 percent to between 6,000 or 7,000. And as if that isn’t bad enough, the surveys found that there were 30 percent less adults on the breeding ground than in 2005.

Commercial Hunters Killing Pups

Caspian Seal Pup. Commercial hunters continue to slaughter pups like this evey year. Photo: Caspian Seal Conservation Network.

The team say that commercial hunters from Dagestan in the Russian Federation are responsible for the killing of 8,000 Caspian Seal pups in recent years.

“Without a suite of conservation measures there is a very high risk the species will become extinct, and possibly within our lifetime,” says Dr Goodman.

The team is developing a conservation action plan, which will prioritise a ban on hunting the seal and establish protected areas with the countries bordering the Caspian Sea.

Rabies threatens the Ethiopian Wolf with extinction. Photo Source: EWCP.

A rabies outbreak could fast track the extinction of the Ethiopian Wolf - the world’s rarest wolf.

With only 500 remaining, the Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis) was already threatened with extinction. But now, there’s a real danger that extinction could come faster than previously thought. 

The rabies threat comes from the dogs the Oromo people use to herd livestock. In the Bale Mountains National Park, the Ethipian Wolves live in close contact with these people and their dogs, and the virus has emerged once again. 

Rabies is the major killer of Ethiopian wolves in Bale.

In 1990 and 1991, it killed off whole wolf packs and accounted for a population decline of up to 75%. Again in 2003-04 the virus spread across this same local population, leading to a 76% decline.

“These preciously rare wolves can ill-afford it another massive die-off.” said Dr Claudio Sillero of Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU).

Vaccinating the Wolves and Dogs

The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP) has been protecting the wolves in the Bale Mountains for 20 years. Unfortunately, despite efforts to vaccinate the wolves and dogs, the rabies virus continues to emerge every so often.

“Despite the efforts of our veterinary team, who vaccinate thousands of dogs in Bale’s villages every year, the virus has raised its ugly head again and jumped into the wolf population,” said Dr Claudio, who is also Director of EWCP.

“Fifteen wolves have died to date, and laboratory tests have confirmed our worst fears that we are facing another potentially devastating outbreak. If left unchecked, rabies is likely to kill over two-thirds of all wolves in Bale’s Web Valley, and spread further, with wolves dying horrible deaths and numbers dwindling to perilously low levels.” he continued.

Vaccination - A Difficult Task

An Ethiopian Wolf being released following vaccination. Photo Source: EWCP.

Vaccinating the Ethiopian Wolf is a difficult task, according to Dr Sillero.

“Tracking and vaccinating these animals is a far from easy task,” he said. 

“Our veterinary team are travelling on horse-back and camping out in remote mountains above 12,000 feet with temperatures falling as low as -15°C. But the first three weeks of the intervention have gone well with the team vaccinating to date forty-eight wolves in eleven vital packs that connect the Web Valley population with other wolves in Bale. The objective is to secure a ‘cordon sanitaire‘ of safely vaccinated wolf packs which will prevent the virus reaching other packs living further afield in the Bale Mountains” he continued.

Threats to the Ethiopian Wolf

Rabies is just one of the many threats to the Ethiopian Wolf. According to EWCP, the major threats to the wolf are:

• Loss and fragmentation of the Afroalpine habitat: High-altitude subsistence agriculture and overgrazing; road construction and sheep farming
• Diseases: Particularly rabies, transmitted by domestic dogs
• Conflicts with humans: Poisoning and persecution in reprisal for livestock losses; road kills
• Hybridisation with domestic dogs

The Ethiopian Wolf (scientific name: Canis simensis) is also known as Abyssinian wolf, red jackal, red fox, Simien fox or Simien jackal, due to the previous uncertainty about its taxonomic position. It is currently thought that the species belongs to the genus Canis, even though it looks superficially like a fox.