Feral dogs threaten the extinction of Indian grey wolves, which protect a grassland in Maharashtra.

• The Kadbanwadi grassland, a 2,000 hectare area in Pune district, India, is home to a shepherd community that has coexisted with various animals, including the Bengal fox, striped hyena, Brahminy kite, and the Indian grey wolf.

• The wolves, brown with black-and-white markings on their backs, are considered the grassland’s guardians, regulating the numbers of smaller predators and herbivores.

• Over the past decade, feral or free-ranging dogs have been pushing the endangered species towards extinction in the grassland.

• The wolf population in Kadbanwadi has decreased from 70 adult wolves in 2016 to 11 in December 2024.

• The canine distemper virus (CDV), a highly contagious disease found in dogs, poses a significant threat to wolves and impacts their health and survival.

• Dogs attack wolves when they find them fewer in number, weaker, or isolated, leading to genetic dilution of wolf populations, disrupting the wolf pack structures, and creating hybrids with unpredictable behaviours and health issues.

• The decline in the population of wolves cannot be blamed on the dogs alone, but the declining practice of shepherding itself is a reason.

• The grassland is protected as part of a reserve forest, but officials are wary of killing dogs out of fear of a backlash from animal rights activists and dog lovers.

• The rising population of dogs is a concern for wildlife and humans, with over 18,000 human casualties due to rabies in India and 22 lakh dog bite cases reported in the country last year.