Rare wolf facing extinction

One of the world’s rarest animals is facing a renewed battle against extinction after being hit by a rabies outbreak, a leading wildlife expert has warned.

Dr Stuart Williams, a British conservationist fighting to save the critically endangered Ethiopian wolf, said the animal might not survive this latest threat.

There are only 500 rare Ethiopian wolves left – an animal as endangered as pandas. The majority live in the remote mountainous areas in the south of the African country.

“Rabies is the big killer,” said Williams, who heads the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP). He believes three quarters could die in the outbreak.

“To do nothing is not an option,” he added. He has urged the Ethiopian government to back a vaccination campaign for the red-coloured wolves.

The last rabies outbreak occurred in 1991 when three quarters of the 300 wolves in the Bale Mountains were wiped out, leaving 80 alive.

It has taken a decade for their numbers to get back to 1991 levels but the latest outbreak threatens to wipe them out once and for all, according to conservationists.