The Think Wild Podcast: Saving the Himalayan Wolf with Dr. Geraldine Werhahn
Prowling the plains of the high Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau is the Himalayan Wolf Canis lupus chanco. Though considered a subspecies of the Gray Wolf, recent genetic studies have suggested that the Himalayan Wolf, is in fact a separate species altogether. In fact, alongside the Indian Plains Wolf, the Himalayan Wolf is thought to be one of the oldest wolf lineages in the world. Unfortunately, like the other large carnivores of the Himalayas, including the elusive snow leopard and critically endangered Himalayan Brown Bear, the wolf is facing countless threats. Not only is climate change causing significant habitat loss in the Himalayas, overgrazing of nomadic livestock herds is putting immense pressure on local prey species. With grasslands and prey species dwindling, human wolf conflict is unavoidable. Additionally, feral dog populations have surged across the range of the Himalayan wolf, increasing competition for resources, hybridization and the spread of diseases. There is one conservation biologist, however, who is working extensively to study these magnificent predators. Dr. Geraldine Werhahn is a Research Associate at University of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. During her PHD, she set up the Himalayan Wolf Project to study these rare canids in Nepal. In this interview we speak about her work and the conservation of Himalayan wolves.
Podcast with Dr. Geraldine Werhahn