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Hybrid Animal in Maharashtra: A Threat to Wolves
Context:
- In a recent discovery in Saswad, Pune, Maharashtra, researchers have identified a hybrid animal resulting from the mating of stray dogs and wolves.
- This finding has raised significant concerns among wildlife experts about the potential threats to the wolf population in the region.
Key Highlights:
- Researchers from The Grassland Trust and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, discovered a hybrid animal in Saswad’s grasslands.
- Genetic analysis of hair samples collected with permission from the Pune Forest Department confirmed the animal as a wolf-dog hybrid.
- By comparing DNA sequences from the samples to those of various wolves, dogs, jackals, and other species.
- The species has been detected in various regions, including Pune, Gondia, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Satara in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
- The expansion of human habitats has fragmented wildlife areas, leading to more interactions between feral/domesticated animals and wildlife.
- This proximity raises risks of hybridisation, disease transmission, and predation, exacerbated by agriculture and urbanisation.
Causes of Hybridisation:
- Genetic Relationship: Dogs and wolves are closely related, with dogs having evolved from wolves.
- Reduced Wolf Populations: Declines in wolf populations have led to increased interbreeding with dogs.
- Human Activities: Agriculture, grazing, waste disposal, and urbanisation have increased interactions between stray dogs and wild wolves.
Threats Associated with Hybridisation:
- Hybridisation can dilute the genetic diversity of the Indian Grey Wolf, disrupt wolf pack social structures, and potentially increase hybridisation rates.
- Indian Grey Wolves, listed as endangered under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, are crucial for grassland ecosystems.
- Disease Transmission: Dogs can transmit diseases like rabies to wolves, which could potentially decimate local wolf populations.
Conservation Efforts:
- India primarily focused on connectivity, population dynamics, prey bases, and human-wildlife conflict.
- Implementing sterilisation programs for stray dogs in areas with significant wolf populations to reduce the chances of hybridisation.
- Habitat Protection: Ensuring that the natural habitats of wolves are protected and preserved to support their population growth.
- Raising awareness among local communities about the importance of wolves and the threats posed by hybridisation.
Future Implications:
- Hybridisation Assessment: Researchers suggest that conservation and management strategies should include hybridisation assessment to address this emerging threat effectively.
- Research Expansion: Calls for more comprehensive research into the genetic and ecological impacts of hybridisation to inform better conservation practices.
