Experts race to save world's rarest wolf from extinction



A team of dedicated conservationists is battling to save the world's rarest wolf from a rabies outbreak by creating a 'barrier' of vaccinated wolf packs.

With less than 500 left, the endangered Ethiopian wolf teeters on the brink of extinction. They live in the Bale Mountains National Park near to the Oromo people, which places them at risk of catching rabies from dogs.







The wolves have been protected by the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP) since 1998, but the group say they are struggling in their mission.





An Ethiopian wolf is released after being vaccinated against rabies

'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 Sillero , the EWCP Director from Oxford University.





'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.





'These preciously rare wolves can ill-afford it another massive die-off.'





In 2003 a similar epidemic swept through, and a rapid response by the Ethiopian authorities and EWCP blocked the spread of the epidemic.



Ethiopian wolves are the rarest type of wolf in the world

A team led by Claudio, EWCP Coordinator Dr Graham Hemson and Dr Fekadu Shiferaw of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority is implementing a plan to vaccinate wolf packs to create a 'barrier' to prevent the virus from spreading.





'Tracking and vaccinating these animals is a far from easy task,' said Dr Sillero.





'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.'



Researchers at Oxford University have developed a detailed knowledge of the wolves from 20 years of continuous study. A sophisticated computer model of how rabies spreads developed with colleagues at Glasgow University guides their vaccination efforts.





The intervention has been sanctioned by the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA) and Oromia Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development.



