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Our project aims to study and conserve grey wolves in Pakistan through outreach, partnerships, and by publishing findings about their ecology, genetics, and interactions with people.
A canid track from Hingol National Park
Our central project goals are to:
Our central project goals are to:
- Research grey wolves in Pakistan,
- Create awareness for wolf conservation,
- Support research that is led and conducted by scientists and researchers in Pakistan.
Conduct field surveys using non-invasive genetic techniques, camera traps, and interviews with local communities to map areas of Indian wolf presence in Sindh, Punjab, and parts of Balochistan. The interview surveys will be used to assess wolf-human conflict and attitudes of wolves by local communities.
Use non-invasive genetic techniques to:
(a) genetically identify the distributional extent of the Indian wolf in Balochistan and northern Punjab, and
(b) understand Indian wolf diet composition.
Scientific and conservation capacity building through:
(a) Remote camera trap monitoring and genetic sample collection and preservation training for wildlife department staff,
(b) non-invasive genetic techniques, conducting all lab work in Pakistan to support in-country wildlife genetics research,
(c) close collaborations and scientific knowledge sharing for wildlife department staff, graduate students, researchers, and assistant professors between institutions in the US and Pakistan.
Create awareness for the Indian wolf in Pakistan and the urgent need for conservation efforts. We will generate awareness materials for the public through social media posts and local outreach events in cities, at universities, and for pastoral communities in collaboration with local conservation organizations. Our project also creates supplementary income opportunities for wildlife department gamewatchers, offering an added conservation incentive for rural communities.
Our Projects
Our Projects
Conserving the endangered Indian wolf using genetic tools
Our team is conducting a genetic survey of wolves in Southern Pakistan. Our goals are to determine where wolves are found, which wolf lineage, and remaining genetic diversity. This work will identify key areas where Indian wolves are still surviving and baseline data on their distribution and genetic diversity.
To do this research, we conduct field surveys in Southern Punjab, Sindh, and parts of Balochistan. We have active and close partnerships with government forest and wildlife departments, universities, and various NGOs in Pakistan. We are collecting non-invasive samples -- the wolf poop -- along with hair, blood, and tissue samples for genetic research.
A second goal of this project is to conduct all of the steps of the project -- including lab work -- in Pakistan. We aim to build local scientific capacity for conducting wildlife genetics research in Pakistan.
Diet composition of the Indian wolf and other sympatric fauna
What do Indian wolves eat? Non-invasive samples -- poop or commonly called "scat" -- can tell us a lot about an animal and their diet.
Using genetically verified scats, we will assess diet of various carnivores using hair analysis. This work will be conducted by graduate students at universities in Pakistan, mentored by Dr. Hira Fatima. The results will help us inform what Indian wolves are eating, whether it is predominately livestock or wild prey, as well as the diet of other sympatric carnivores that we have genetically verified scats of, such as golden jackal and red fox. By analysing wolf scats for diet, we can understand whether wolves are dependent on livestock for survival and what that means for their longevity and the health of the ecosystem.
Human-wildlife conflict survey within Indian wolf habitat in Sindh
To ensure long-term conservation efforts can be successful, our team is working directly with the provincial wildlife departments and communities living alongside wolves to understand the extent of human-wildlife conflict within our study area. In 2025, our collaborators from the Sindh Wildlife Department surveyed 10 settlements in Kirthar National Park and reported over 80 attacks on livestock with costs exceeding Rs. 3 million. These pastoral communities' livelihoods are tied to their ability to sell their livestock; therefore, any losses are devastating.
To avoid retaliatory killing of wildlife, we are documenting and mapping instances of livestock depredation within our study areas. After calculating the economic impact of wildlife depredation on livestock, our team will work with communities to develop feasible mitigation strategies. These could include secure corrals, livestock vaccination, registration, and insurance programs, or conservation monitoring and reporting activities as new and supplementary income opportunities for those living in the park.
Awareness program for wolves in Pakistan
Creating awareness and sharing information on wolves in Pakistan is essential to inspire the next generation of researchers to study wolves and for conservation support. We have created an instagram page called @PakistanWolfProject that is curated by our team and an undergraduate student mentored by Hira Fatima. If you would like to get involved in brining the story of Pakistan's wolves to the world, please reach out to us on Instagram @pakistanwolfproject or email us at pakistanwolfproject@gmail.com
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