Our Wolf Monitors work tirelessly, following wolf packs day after day, tracking every event in the life of these close-knit families. In the Bale Mountains a team of eight monitors, under the experienced leadership of Alo Hussein, track over 20 focal packs, some known to us for up to 30 years (the BBC pack has been monitored since 1987).
After the devastating epizootic of canine distemper in 2016, the Monitors were keeping a close eye on the most seriously affected families. To their delight, this turned up to be an exceptionally good breeding season. Pups were born to 80% of all the packs monitored and, by January 2017, the monitors had counted over 60 pups. Good breeding will boost up the recovery of the Sanetti Plateau population, stricken by consecutive outbreaks since 2014. In the Web Valley, meanwhile, three large packs were splitting up, each originating an additional new social group.
A prolific breeding season put a smile on the Wolf Monitors’ faces after a tough field season. We hope that these waves of optimism reach all EWCP partners and supporters, bringing the warm feeling of knowing that our efforts are not in vain. Thank you.
“If know these wolves so well I can tell you the story of each one of the many packs we have in Bale” Alo Husein, Monitoring Officer