Maharashtra: Largest wolfpack of 15 spotted in Pune

This is the largest number of wolves captured in a single frame

The Grasslands Trust team, a registered charitable trust dedicated to wolf conservation in Pune district, has documented 15 wolves in a single frame after analysing tracking data. This marks the first confirmed record of such a large group of wolves captured together in one photograph at Morgaon in Pune district. Mihir Godbole from The Grasslands Trust told mid-day that this is a record from the previous breeding cycles of the year 2022-23 recorded in the Pune district.

"This is the first confirmed record of 15 individuals caught in a single frame. There are a few records of pack sizes larger than 10 or 12 but no photo or video is available/published till now. Interestingly, it was only the adult breeding pair that produced 13 pups. All of which survived through the first year of their life, which is critical," said Godbole

However, in the 2023-24 breeding cycle, the team could not track down the pair that had been using the same area for breeding since 2017. The researchers fear that either they may have died due to increased human-induced factors in their habitat or they shifted from the area because of landscape changes to their breeding grounds.

"This is a cause of concern for this declining canid as their population is dwindling because of multiple factors. The population of breeding adults in the study area of the Pune District has fallen below 30 individuals and other districts of the state remain data deficient At least protecting the breeding areas of these animals will be crucial to ensure their long-term survival in the state." Godbole added.

In February 2023, the Grasslands Trust team conducted fieldwork for the pilot drone project, and during the first week, the team observed five pups playing in grasses taller than them, accompanied by a male. For two weeks, the team didn't see the mother, so the team decided to document this unusual case of the male nurturing the pups alone.

In the third week of February 2023, the team finally spotted the female. "Although we saw several pups playing, darkness prevented us from counting them accurately. Later, we realised the male was with some pups close to the den, while the female was with others in another den. By the end of February, we still didn't know the exact litter size. On the last day, the drone captured footage of the male with seven pups," Godbole added.

After the pilot project concluded, The Grasslands Trust team visited the site monthly until August and September, leading up to the start of the actual project. Godbole said, "During these visits, we typically observed four to five individuals at a time, as they were spread out. In June, our team finally counted 15 individuals, which was surprising. We later understood that the pups had been raised in two separate groups, explaining why we hadn't seen them all together earlier."

The research and tracking of the wolf pack was conducted by a team consisting of Adwait Deshpande, Shreyas Nakate, Arnav Gandhe, Samyak Kaninde, and Sarvesh Nakate.

Wolf species - Canis Lupus Pallipes

Found mainly in open natural ecosystems and also in some of the dry forests. Indian wolf is recognised as the apex predator of the Grasslands and is considered endangered and classified as a Schedule I species.