Predation by Himalayan Wolves: Understanding conflict, culture and co-existence amongst Indo-Tibetan community and large carnivores in High Himalaya

The wolves in the Hindukush-Himalayan region belong to one the most basal lineages within Canis lupus, yet little is known about its ecology, distribution, and behavior. To understand ecological aspects of wolves in this landscape, we predict wolf distribution, diet patterns and conflict perception in Spiti, India using field and remotely sensed information. We collected scats (n = 283) of canid species namely, Wolves, and other predators over a period of 3 years (2014-17) [66]. Wolf diet constituted mostly of domestic prey (79.02 %) while wild prey constituted to 17.80% of wolf diet over the three years. Village surveys recorded only 4% of the respondents confirmed wolf presence and perceived them as a possible threat to various livestock. Over, 98% of the respondents claimed that wolves were not safe for livestock and were averse to its presence. Marginal response curves depicted the model to have positive responses to animal location, LULC, village population, village density and wolf depredation. We found perceived presence/threat distribution wolves in the area significantly differed from actual ecological presence and distribution of wolves. The Himalayan wolf is an apex flagship predator in this fragile high altitude system, whose role is intricately linked with the ecology of the region. The use of such methods can aid in understanding such aspects as well as designing effective long-term conservation strategies for the species.