\n Battling to save the Ethiopian wolf \u2013 Africa’s rarest carnivore<\/a><\/p>\n
This is a story of a second chance that played out in the Simien Mountains, Ethiopia. The air is thin there at 3,000 metres above sea level, the nights are cold, and life offers very little mercy. This is the home of the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), the top predator in this habitat and also the most endangered carnivore in Africa<\/a>. Fewer than 500 adult wolves are left in the Ethiopian highlands, with about 60-70 in the Simien Mountains.<\/p>\n Terefe, just before his release. In early May 2020, a male Ethiopian wolf sustained a severe injury, a fractured femur, from a gunshot. He was unable to keep up with his pack in a place as unforgiving as the highlands, and that would usually be the end of the story. But this time, it wasn\u2019t. <\/p>\n I\u2019m a postdoctoral researcher in the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme<\/a>, a 30-year-old programme committed to safeguarding the Ethiopian wolf and its mountain home. I was honoured to be part of a team who documented<\/a> the first ever case of an Ethiopian wolf being rescued, clinically treated in captivity, and successfully released back into the wild following rehabilitation.<\/p>\n Terefe, the lucky survivor<\/p>\n Simien Mountains wolf monitoring team, Andualem, Getachew and Jejaw (from left) Park scouts discovered the wolf lying under a bridge and alerted Getachew Assefa, the wolf monitor team leader of the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme<\/a> in the Simien Mountains National Park. <\/p>\n It\u2019s unusual for an Ethiopian wolf to be shot in the park. So, Ethiopian wildlife authorities and the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme decided to capture and save the frightened animal.<\/p>\n Read more: This was an unprecedented step, as there was no previous record of an Ethiopian wolf ever being held in captivity before. The decision to save him was driven both by the fact that his injury was human-made and by the small number of Simien wolves left.<\/p>\n A small mountain shelter was quickly converted into a makeshift enclosure for the wolf. There, over the next 51 days, his rehabilitation began. <\/p>\n Read more: In the following weeks, the wolf received intensive veterinary treatment guided by Ethiopian wolf experts. He was cared for by local community guard Chilot Wagaye. At first, progress was uncertain, but then the broken bones began to heal and, after a month, the wolf could stand on its own. <\/p>\n He was named Terefe, meaning \u201clucky survivor\u201d in Amharic, the local language. <\/p>\n Returning to the wild: a story of hope<\/p>\n After his leg recovered, Terefe\u2019s eagerness to leave the shelter started to show. He was howling at night, perhaps as an attempt to call his pack members. <\/p>\n In late June 2020, he was released back near his pack, fitted with a lightweight GPS collar, the first ever deployed on an Ethiopian wolf. This allowed researchers to follow his movements and explore a critical question: could a rehabilitated wolf reintegrate into the wild?<\/p>\n The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme tracked Tefere\u2019s movements after he healed from his injury to make sure he was doing ok.<\/p>\n Soon after his release, sightings showed that Terefe had been welcomed back into his pack. He stayed within his original territory for several weeks. But soon, he began to travel more widely<\/a> in the mountains, sometimes visiting neighbouring packs, and eventually settling near Shehano village. <\/p>\n The tiny village of Shehano. At first, villagers were surprised to see a wolf near their homes and tried to chase him away. But wolf monitors, led by Getachew and Chilot, explained Terefe\u2019s story of survival. <\/p>\n Learning more about this wolf prompted a change of attitude. It increased the villagers\u2019 willingness to protect Terefe \u2026 and his new pack members! Indeed, Terefe had found a mate and they had a litter of pups. <\/p>\n A historic rescue that protected more than one life<\/p>\n Today, the \u201cTerefe pack\u201d still exists. Terefe not only survived, but created a new legacy. He also changed something that\u2019s really important but difficult to measure: local perceptions. Wolves are sometimes seen as a threat. But because of Terefe, they became a symbol of resilience and a source of pride. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/file-20251121-104-5k6ljg.jpg\")
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\n Fasika N, Wildlife Conservation Network<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Three](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/file-20251121-56-w6db0u.JPG\")
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\n Courtesy Sandra Lai<\/p>\n
\n Simply returning rescued wildlife back to the wild may not be in their best interest<\/a><\/p>\n
\n Conservation hope: Many wildlife species can recover if given a chance<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/file-20251121-56-m2zvvm.jpg\")
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\n Courtesy Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme<\/p>\n
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