Panna: In a pleasing development for wildlife enthusiasts, black wolf has been seen for the first time in India-- in the buffer zone of Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The Panna Tiger Reserve is usually known as an abode of various species of herbivorous and carnivorous wild animals with the black wolf sighting surprising the wildlife lovers.
BH Lab India, an academic research body in a post on X, wrote, “Double Trouble - this is the first photograph of pure black wolf from India. An indication of hybridisation with dogs. Time to worry about the species, the numbers are so low, it may be a real problem”. The BH Lab India also shared a picture of the black wolves at the Panna Tiger Reserve.
Locals have seen many black wolves near the highway passing through the Kishangarh buffer zone of Panna Tiger Reserve. Earlier in August 2021, the natural habitat of the fishing cat was also confirmed in Panna Tiger Reserve. Now the presence of black wolves in the forests in the buffer zone shows that Panna forests are also far ahead in terms of biodiversity. There is no authentic proof whether black wolves have been seen anywhere in Madhya Pradesh or not.
A research carried out in 2009 suggested that the mutation of black wolves probably came from domesticated dogs, which interbred with wolves. Two species of wolves are found in India—the Indian Gray Wolf and Himalayan Wolf. The Indian gray wolf is found in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, while the Himalayan wolf is found in the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. Both are listed as endangered species and protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
A study conducted in 2022 by the Wildlife Institute of India found that only 3100 gray wolves were left in the country.
