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Ethiopian wolf |
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He is a wild animal |
Origin |
Ethiopia | |
Translation |
Francis Vandersteen |
| The possession of this animal is not authorized Royal Decree establishing the list of mammals not kept for production purposes that may be kept (M.B. 24.08.2009) |
| The Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), also known as the Abyssinian wolf after the ancient name used to designate Ethiopia, Cabéru, Chacal du Simien or even kebero in Amharic, is the third rarest canid in the world (after the Darwin's fox and the red wolf), with a total population estimated at less than 500 individuals in the wild, including 300 in Mount Bale National Park (central Ethiopia) and none in captivity. As such, it is classified as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Ethiopian wolf is a species endemic to the Ethiopian highlands at an altitude of around 3,000 meters. These wolves, which feed mainly on rodents (notably giant mole rats), live in family groups. A significant proportion of the last representatives of the species were victims of an epizootic in the Mont Balé National Park. Between the end of September 2003 and January 2004, rabies killed 65 wolves, more than three-quarters of the population in the Web Valley region. Rabies may have been introduced by the dogs of shepherds who graze their flocks in the park. In November 2003, the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program set up a vaccination program in the Web Valley, with financial support from CEPA, in response to the serious threat posed by the rabies epizootic. Their numbers have declined considerably in recent years, mainly as a result of dog-borne diseases and increased pastoral activity in the highlands. At present, only a dozen packs remain, representing around 500 individuals. |
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