A citizen science project prompted scientists to study hybridisation between grey wolves (Canis lupus) & feral dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). ‘Citizen conservationists of Grasslands Trust’ in Maharashtra’s Pune district have been following wolf packs in and around Pune for a decade.

Their records showed that some animals in the packs appeared different from the rest. Tawny with black tail tip, these individuals moved with the pack and followed their social structure. One was even seen fulfilling the assigned role of the male parent of a litter.

In a wolf pack, only one pair of wolves mates & reproduces. Fathers are involved in taking care of the litter. The hybrids were spotted in four districts in Maharashtra — Dhule, Ahmednagar, Nashik and Pune. 

Generally, in mammals, only hybrid females are fertile while hybrid males are not. Among canids, earlier studies have shown that both sexes of hybrids are fertile and capable of reproduction. This enables the introgression of dog genomes into wolves and vice versa. 

There are concerns that an increase in the population of hybrids and gradual decrease in the numbers of pure breeding members can disrupt the social structure of wolves. This can further drive hybridisation, leading to a ‘hybridisation vortex’, and eventually to extinction of a species.

Wild canids like grey wolves & golden jackals (Canis aureus) often live closer to human habitations & coexist with domestic dogs in a complex relationship of competition. Increased human-wildlife interfaces have resulted in more interactions between the two species.

Researchers say hybridisation could result in significant reduction of specific adaptations in wolves, which combined with increased exposure to canine diseases such as rabies, distemper, and parvoviruses, could lead to a reduction in wolf populations. 

For the study, hairs were collected from two different looking individuals in Pune and their genetic origin investigated and compared against other canid species like golden jackals and dholes (Cuon alpinus).

The study found the first genetic evidence of one second generation or F2 hybrid and another individual that “could be a complex hybrid between dogs and wolves”

In place of mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite markers, the scientists used the more advanced single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, that identify hybrids more efficiently. The findings also challenge the definition of ‘biological species’.

Wildlife acts and legislations around the world do not account for hybrids. This study should encourage more evidence-based action, research and policies for conservation of hybrids. 

In Ladakh, there is a name for a wolf-dog hybrid: Khib-shang.

Across the globe, gray wolves (Canis lupus) carry slivers of chromosomes from domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), pointing to potential genetic hybridization that spans back many generations. Analyzing the canids’ DNA, researchers found that although wolves have long been interbreeding with dogs, their gene pools remain separate, and the eradication of hybrids to preserve the genetic integrity of wolves could be misguided. 

According to Malgorzata Pilot, a senior lecturer at the United Kingdom’s University of Lincoln, Even though hybridization is geographically widespread in Europe and Asia,” she said, “it is not very frequent, so we can distinguish the genetic pools of wolf and dog populations.

Pilot  and her colleagues examined hundreds of genetic samples collected a decade ago from wolves and dogs worldwide. They used a DNA chip to unscramble these animals’ genotypes at 60,000 places throughout the genome to detect hybridization.

According to Pilot, in Eurasia, about 60 percent of all individuals  had small chromosomal fragments originating from dogs. It doesn’t mean they are hybrids.

It means many generations ago, they had a dog ancestor. In North America, we identified a very small number of individuals that showed evidence for past hybridization with dogs. 

The findings particularly have management implications for black wolves in Europe, where they are sometimes culled because the darker color is seen as a sign that the animals are hybrids.

All black wolves from North America & Italy tested had the dog-derived gene, that causes black coloration, but otherwise there was no evidence of hybridization with dogs. These individuals had a dog ancestor a very long time ago, so there is no more trace of this admixture in their genomes. They cannot be treated as hybrids. It is difficult to identify hybrids based on phenotypes.

Hybridization hasn’t affected the wolf gene pool significantly, but wolf populations in Europe are much smaller as compared with populations of free-ranging dogs.

Human demographic expansion has confined wildlife to fragmented habitats, often in proximity to human-modified landscapes. Such interfaces facilitate increased interactions between feral or domesticated animals and wildlife, posing a high risk to wild species.

Detection and genetic discrimination of hybrids between dogs and wolves are challenging because of their complex demographic history and close ancestry. Indian wolves are the same species that roam across North America and Europe, but they are entirely different animals.

Not only do they look dissimilar, being smaller, lankier, and less furry, but they act differently. While the Western wolves symbolise fierce wilderness, many populations of the Indian wolves hang out near humans, a risky strategy for a carnivore. To survive, they rely on camouflage, stealth, and an awareness of humans.  

In Koppal district, northern Karnataka, wolves lurk around villages and fields set in the black Deccan soil of the valleys ringed by picturesque rocky hillocks. Despite the large canids’ proximity to civilisation, they have this ability to be invisible especially in peninsular India .

In a landscape with few wild areas where they can thrive free of human disturbance, they often den adjacent to fields.

A series of touchscreen experiments carried out by the Wolf Science Center in Vienna, Austria, found that wolves make for more selfless pack mates than dogs who were also raised in groups.

The study say the findings suggest domestic dogs inherited their cooperative tendencies from their fierce wolf ancestors, rather than through their contact with human beings, a competing hypothesis.