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On the reappearance of the Indian grey wolf in Bangladesh after 70 years:

what do we know?

Article  in  Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift fur Saugetierkunde · September 2020

DOI: 10.1007/s42991-020-00064-4

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Mammalian Biology
https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-020-00064-4

SHORT COMMUNICATION

On the reappearance of the Indian grey wolf in Bangladesh

after 70 years: what do we know?
Muntasir Akash1 · Umar Faruq Chowdhury2 · Fatema‑Tuz‑Zohora Khaleque3 · Rifath Nehleen Reza2 ·
Dulal Chandra Howlader1 · Mohammad Riazul Islam2 · Haseena Khan2

Received: 31 May 2020 / Accepted: 29 August 2020

© Deutsche Gesellschaft für Säugetierkunde 2020

Abstract
The Indian grey wolf, Canis lupus pallipes Sykes, 1831, is a small, cryptic subspecies and the only wolf living in arid plains
and deserts of the Indian subcontinent. Since 1950, it has been considered extinct beyond 88° east longitude. Herein, we
report an instance from Bangladesh after 70 years. A solitary male of C. l. pallipes was killed in retaliation in June 2019 as
livestock predation events erupted and lasted for a month after a severe cyclone had swept coastal Bangladesh. The specimen
was about 119 cm from nose to tail tip with a skull length of 26.23 cm. Two molecular markers, mt d-loop control region
and 16S rRNA, and 54 cranial parameters consolidated the identity. Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood analyses
indicated its intraspecies position. The locality of conflict, 450 km eastward of the easternmost population of C. l. pallipes, is
adjacent to the Sundarbans in the Ganges estuary that presents formidable tidal rivers as dispersal barriers. In 2017, another
wolf was sighted from the Indian Sundarbans vicinity. The present incident and the sighting of 2017 remarkably appeared
from the farthest corners of a 10,000 km2 strong mangrove network that is rimmed by dense human settlements. The records
surmise about the most challenging wolf dispersal route ever recorded. Additionally, the south-central coasts of Bangladesh,
once home to wolves, bear old planted mangroves with open dunes but never surveyed for mammals. These facts necessitate
a systematic camera-trapping in the coastal mangroves of Bangladesh exclusively intended for wolves.

Keywords Wolf · Canis lupus pallipes · Sundarbans · Bangladesh

Evolved in the Pleistocene period, grey wolf (Canis lupus
Linnaeus, 1758), the largest extant member in the family
Handling editor: Laura Iacolina.
Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this
article (https​://doi.org/10.1007/s4299​1-020-00064​-4) contains
supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Canidae, is one of the most successful of any contempo-
rary large carnivore mammals. The present range of wolf
is still splayed across most of Asia and North America;
also includes places in Europe and North Africa in spite of
localized extinction and surmounting anthropogenic pres-
sure (Mech and Boitani 2004; Hunter and Barrett 2018).

* Muntasir Akash Haseena Khan

m17.zoo@du.ac.bd haseena@du.ac.bd
Umar Faruq Chowdhury 1
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences,
umarfchy@gmail.com
University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Fatema‑Tuz‑Zohora Khaleque 2
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
ftzmila@gmail.com
Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Dhaka, Dhaka,
Rifath Nehleen Reza Bangladesh
nehleen11@gmail.com 3
Bangladesh Forest Department, Ministry of Environment
Dulal Chandra Howlader and Forests, Dhaka, Bangladesh
dulalhowlader1980@gmail.com
Mohammad Riazul Islam
mriazulislam@du.ac.bd

13
Vol.:(0123456789)

In response to diverse habitats, wolves have become highly
adaptive (Mech and Boitani 2004).
Wolves are accounted for as many as 36 subspecies by
Wozencraft (2005); 12 were mentioned by Hunter and Bar-
rett (2018) with skepticism. However, with the advent in
molecular phylogenetics, different lineages of wolf have
been recognized; many of which are elevated to species
level as for the African wolf (Canis lupaster Hemprich and
Ehrenberg, 1832) and wolves of southeastern North America
(eastern wolf C. lupus lycaon Schreber, 1775 and red wolf
C. l. rufus Audubon and Bachman, 1851) (Vonholdt et al.
2016; Sinding et al. 2018; Alvares et al. 2019). Origin of the
divergence in the Holarctic grey wolves (Canis lupus spp.)
is tracked down to South Asia (Shrotriya et al. 2012). The
only two South Asian subspecies of grey wolves, the Hima-
layan wolf (Canis lupus chanco Gray, 1863) and the Indian
wolf (Canis lupus pallipes Sykes, 1831), also the most basal
ones, are accounted for the global spread of wolves (Shro-
triya et al. 2012; Sharma et al. 2019). Interestingly, these two
lineages were suspected as distinct species by Sharma et al.
(2004) and Aggarwal et al. (2007). Werhahn et al. (2020)
stressed further taxonomic recognition for the more ancient
Himalayan wolf.
Compared to the range-restricted C.l. chanco, C. l. pal-
lipes is small and occupies a wider distribution (Prater
1971; Menon 2014). This subspecies is almost half of the
size when compared to the Holarctic congeners (Hunter
and Barrett 2018). Roughly equal to an oversized golden
jackal (Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758), coat pattern makes
the Indian wolf cryptic and less evident (Prater 1971;
Menon 2014; Hunter and Barrett 2018). Canis lupus pal-
lipes is known as a habitat-generalist occupying dry and
semi-arid habitats such as plains, grassland-sandbar, and
scrubland–agricultural mosaics (Jhala 2003; Menon 2014;
Saren et al. 2019). There is no range-wide assessment of the
Indian wolves as in for the European and the Mediterranean
wolves (Jdeidi et al. 2010; Boitani 2018). In India, about
2000–3000 individuals are believed to be present; however,
studies on the Indian wolves appeared in a patchy pattern
(Jhala 2003; Sharma et al. 2019).
The extant range for the Indian wolf, though patchy and
fragmented, goes from the Peninsular India to the Arabian
deserts (Jhala 2003). However, it is not known beyond 88°
east longitude, except for a recent sighting from a Sundar-
bans outskirt in the state of West Bengal, India (Mukherjee
2017) (Fig. 1a). Northerly, the subspecies is now contained
by the Ganges River in the state of Bihar, India (Dey et al.
2010; Sharma et al. 2019) (Fig. 1a). Anecdotes on C. l. pal-
lipes from the historic region of Bengal, now succeeded
by the state of West Bengal, India, and Bangladesh, went
back to the 1950s (Fig. 1a). Through accounts of Hunter
(1876a,b,c), Simson (1886), and O’Malley (1914, 1923), the
historic eastern limit of wolves in the Indian subcontinent
13
M. Akash et al.
appeared to be the entire south-central and western Bengal
(Fig. 1a). Hunter (1876c) also noted wolves from Darjeeling,
a northern hilly region of West Bengal (Fig. 1a); however,
whether these wolves were plainland (C. l. pallipes) or hilly
subspecies (C. l. chanco) was not mentioned. Mitra (1957)
noted a predation event of wolf killing a man around 1940s
from the coastal grasslands of Noakhali, south-central Bang-
ladesh (Fig. 1a). O’Malley (1914,1923) mentioned wolf
from the districts of Noakhali and Pabna of Bangladesh as
well as from Murshidabad, Malda, and Dinajpur—districts
which are now part of India (Hunter 1876a,b) (Fig. 1a).
These regions lie along the Ganges River and rich in river-
ine open country and grassland mosaics (IUCN Bangladesh
2015) similar to current range areas of the Indian wolves.
However, long before the independence of Bangladesh,
wolf is regarded as an extirpated species in the eastern Ben-
gal (Khan 2015, 2018), although any exclusive survey has
never been undertaken.
This work proved the appearance of the Indian grey wolf
in Bangladesh after 70 years. Craniometric measurements
are also provided for the first time from the entire Indian
Subcontinent. Its phylogenetic position is also examined.
Finally, the possible reasons causing its appearance in the
country are discussed.
On 4th June 2019, an animal allegedly deemed a wolf,
was killed in retaliation at a coastal village of Bangladesh
(N 22.01374 E 90.1566). The locality, administratively, falls
under the district of Barguna (Fig. 1b). The area is jutting
into the Bay of Bengal, traversed by three coastal rivers of
the Ganges drainage system. The southern rim of the dis-
trict is bordered by mangrove belts (Fig. 1b). A visit was
made to the place on 12th June 2019. Direct morphological
measurements could not be taken as the animal was buried
on the same day of the killing on the premises of the local
outpost (N 21.9848 E 21.9848) of the Bangladesh Forest
Department. However, for molecular analyses, muscular tis-
sues from the upper left arm of the specimen were collected
after exhumation and instantly preserved on 95% ethanol.
Through semi-structured interviews, local news correspond-
ents, forest personnel, and villagers were asked about the
general appearance of the animal and its conflict records.
For the geographic information on the locality, Denzau et al.
(2015), IUCN Bangladesh (2015), and Islam et al. (2020)
were followed as references. The pertinent maps were ren-
dered using WGS 1984 geo-datum and ArcGIS 10.5.
On 13th December 2019, the skeletal remains were again
exhumed. Hafner et al. (1984) and Rowley (2015) were used
as references for skull preparation. After degreasing and
cleaning with detergents and 3% commercial-grade solution
of hydrogen peroxide, the sun-dried skull was polished with
a soft brush. Cyanoacrylate adhesives and silicone sealants
were applied in case of shattered skull fragments. With a
30 cm-long slide calipers, measurements were noted to an
On the reappearance of the Indian grey wolf in Bangladesh after 70 years: what do we know?

Fig. 1  Occurrence of the Indian

grey wolf Canis lupus pallipes
in its eastern limit (a) and the
Sundarbans forest peripheries
(b). Black dashed line marks
historical easternmost limit of
the species after Simson (1886).
Green-shaded areas denote
forest cover. Light grey areas
denote the historic region of
Bengal, now succeeded by the
state of West Bengal, India, and
Bangladesh. Dark grey area
denotes the district of Barguna.
Inset shows the region within
the Indian subcontinent

accuracy of 0.01 mm. For craniometric parameters, 54 dif-
ferent measurements were noted (Supplementary Material
Fig. B1) following Clutton-Brock et al. (1994) and Krizan
(2005). All measurements were taken four times each (two
by MA and two by DCH). Then, the mean value for each
parameter was used. Dental anomalies and abrasions were
observed according to Janssens et al. (2016).
To extract DNA, 20 mg sample was mixed into 100 μl of
TESU6 buffer and incubated at 55 °C for 15 min in shaking
incubator (Aranishi and Okimoto 2006). Ten μl of 5.0 M
sodium chloride (NaCl) was added to the solution. Then,
the standard procedure of the phenol–chloroform protocol
was followed and incubation at − 20 °C was carried out
overnight. The isopropyl alcohol precipitation method was
then conducted; DNA precipitate was re-suspended in 60 μl
nuclease-free water. Amplification of two molecular mark-
ers was targeted: 16S rRNA (16S) and mitochondrial (mt)
D-loop control region. To design the primers for polymerase
chain reaction (PCR), sequences for 16S and mt D-loop con-
trol region of grey wolf (Canis lupus) were retrieved from
the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
GenBank database and were aligned using Clustal Omega

13

(Madeira et al. 2019) to find the highly conserved regions.
Parameters of the candidate primers were checked by IDT
Oligo Analyzer (Owczarzy et al. 2008) and Primer Blast
(Ye et al. 2012). Finally, for mt d-loop control region, the
following primers were used: 5′-TGA ATC ACC CCT ACT
GTG-3′ (forward) and 5′-CCA TTG ACT GAA TAG CAC
C-3′ (reverse). For 16S primers, 5′-GGA GCG ATA GAG
ATA GTA CC- 3′ (forward) and 5′-GTG GTC TAT CCG
TTC CTG-3′ (reverse) were used. According to Palumbi
et al. (1991), PCR in 10 μl reaction volume was carried out
containing 1X standard Taq reaction buffer, 2.5 mM mag-
nesium chloride, 60 pMol primer, 3 pMol deoxynucleoside
triphosphate (dNTP), one unit Taq DNA polymerase, and
58–59 ng DNA. The amplification was done under the fol-
lowing conditions: 5 min of initial preheating at 95 °C; 35
cycles of denaturation at 95 °C for 30 s; 40 s annealing at
55 °C for mt d-loop, and 57 °C for 16S; extension for 40 s
at 72 °C and a final extension at 72 °C for 7 min followed
by cooling at 4 °C. The PCR product was run on 1% aga-
rose gel electrophoresis and visualized in Geldoc (E-Box,
Vilber Smart Imaging) (Supplementary Material Fig. A1).
Sequencing was done at the National Institute of Biotech-
nology, Bangladesh. The forward and reverse sequences of
each PCR product were assembled into contigs using CAP3
server (Huang and Madan 1999). The sequences have been
submitted at NCBI GenBank database, available with acces-
sion number: MN219436 and MN219437. BLASTn search
was done against the standard non-redundant nucleotide
database for both the sequences to ascertain the taxonomic
status of the species (Morgulis et al. 2008).
To understand inter- and intraspecies genetic distance of
the specimen, mt D-loop control region gene fragment was
considered and 17 relevant sequences were retrieved from
NCBI GenBank database. Sequences submitted from the
Indian wolf range area were considered, i.e., four of Sharma
et al. (2004) and five of Aggarwal et al. (2007) entitled as
C. l. pallipes and of C. indica, respectively. Five sequences
of the Himalayan wolf were included: Accession no.
KY94030.1, KY996529.1, and KY996530.1 were named as
Canis himalayensis by Werhahn et al. (2017); KT321360.1
and AB007379.1 as C. l. chanco by Chetri et al. (2016)
and Tsuda et  al. (1997) accordingly. The Eurasian wolf
(C. l. lupus) (KY550013.1) and stray dog C. l. familiaris
(MF185437) were also considered in the analysis, sourced
from Montana et  al. (2017) and Strakova et  al. (2016),
respectively. Golden jackal Canis aureus (MF185456) was
used as outgroup (Yumnam et al. 2015) (Supplementary
Material Table A.1).
All the sequences were aligned in MEGA X (Kumar
et al. 2018) using the MUSCLE (Edgar 2004) alignment
algorithm. ModelGenerator v. 0.85 (Keane et al. 2006) was
used to examine the best fitting model of substitution by
observing the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and the
13
M. Akash et al.
Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) values. Priori settings
were applied with BEAUti v. 1.8.0 (Drummond et al. 2012).
A Tamura-Nei (TrN) model using invariant sites and gamma
(I + G) was applied (Tamura and Nei 1993) with five gamma
categories and the assumption of a strict clock. All default
settings were maintained and a random tree was selected for
starting; only the Tree Prior category was set to the Yule Pro-
cess (Gernhard 2008), as for species-level analyses. BEAST
v. 1.10.4 (Drummond et al. 2012) was used to conduct three
independent runs of 1­ 07 generations with the dataset consid-
ering the first 10% as burn-in. TRACER v. 1.7.1 (Rambaut
et al. 2018) was used to assess the accuracy of the output.
LogCombiner v. 1.10.4 was used to merge the results; the
consensus tree was then constructed using TreeAnnotator v.
1.10.4 to observe the Bayesian posterior probabilities (BPPs)
as suggested by Drummond et al. (2018). Figtree v. 1.4.4
(Rambaut and Drummond 2018) was used to visualize and
edit the consensus tree. Also, maximum-likelihood (ML)
phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA X (Kumar
et al. 2018) with 1000 bootstrapping replications. The final
topology of the tree was based on superior log-likelihood
value.
Our work on its genetics, craniometric measurements, and
photo evidence specified the animal as a male Indian wolf
(C. l. pallipes) (Figs. 2, 3; Supplementary Material Fig. B2).
Uniformly thin pelage with less underfur, long muzzle and
relatively longer legs gave the animal a lighter built. The
base color was grey mixed with black; however, flanks and
undersides were buff to nearly white. It was reportedly about
119 cm from nose to tail tip, 91.5 cm in head–body length,
and 71.12 cm at shoulder height (Prater 1971; Menon 2014)
(Supplementary Material Fig. B2). The skull was 26.23 cm
in total length and 23.62 cm in condylobasal length. Sup-
plementary Material B (Table B.1) presented all 54 skull
parameters, whereas definitions of these traits were por-
trayed in Fig. A.1. The measurements were indicative of
a male specimen of the Indian wolf according to Menon
(2014) and Khosravi et al. (2014).
Cranial damages and anomalies were conspicuous. Skull
trauma owing to mob beating was evident (Fig. 2a). The
right cheekbone was shattered; parts from of zygomatic
arch along the squamosal suture were missing. Traumatic
abrasion was observed on the right orbital process of the
frontal bone. Fractures were present on nasal and maxilla.
On the third premolar (p3) of left maxilla, an enamel chip
was missing; the fracture was very likely to blunt trauma
(Fig. 2f). Congenital dental abnormality was noted follow-
ing Janssens et al. (2016). Agenesis was observed: the first
premolar (p1) on left mandible was absent without any trace
of alveolar. Medial displacement was also present on left
mandible: the following premolar (p2) and its alveolar were
deformed (Fig. 2g). The dentition, except the hypodontia on
left mandible, was of the normal pattern for wolf i.e., incisor
On the reappearance of the Indian grey wolf in Bangladesh after 70 years: what do we know?
Fig. 2  Phylogram of the Indian
grey wolf Canis lupus pallipes
and other closely related wolf
subspecies inferred from Bayes-
ian analysis. Placement of the
wolf specimen from Bangladesh
is highlighted in grey. Numeric
above the nodes denotes Bayes-
ian posterior probabilities (BPP)
on left and maximum-likelihood
(ML) bootstrap values on right.
Dashes (−) remark BPP < 0.75
or ML bootstrap support < 60.
Detail information of sequences
is provided in supplementary
material table A.1
(3/3), canine (1/1), premolar (4/4), and molar (2/3) (Görner
and Hackethal 1987).
Blast analysis of the sequences obtained from both PCR
products supports the identity as wolf Canis lupus (Sup-
plementary Material Fig. A. 2). Based on the phylogenetic
analyses using both maximum-likelihood and Bayesian
inference methods, the wolf of Bangladesh belongs to a
unique monophyletic clade together with the Indian wolf
sequences (Fig. 2). The clade included all the submissions
of both Sharma et al. (2004) and Aggarwal et al. (2007)
together supported by BPP/ML bootstrap value of 1.00/82.
Though NCBI GenBank entries were entitled as C. indica,
the Indian grey wolf is globally accepted as C. l. pallipes
(Wozencraft 2005); hence, both C. indica and C. l. pallipes
entries of NCBI GenBank refer to the wolf subspecies of the
Indian plains. The individual of Bangladesh did not show
any significant phylogenetic distance (supported by BPP/
ML bootstrap values) with the sequences of Sharma et al.
(2004) and Aggarwal et al. (2007).
The locality in Bangladesh and the known distribution of
the Indian wolf seemed remarkably instigating. As of Saren
et al. (2019), West Midnapore district of West Bengal, India
holds the easternmost population of wolves and, at a linear
distance, about 450 km away from Barguna (Fig. 1a). In
contrast to the long-ranging behavior in wolf described by
Mech and Boitani (2004), Scurrah (2012), and Sharma et al
(2019), the region has an array of barriers which are absent
in other wolf range countries and challenges dispersal move-
ment of any large carnivore, let alone wolf (Fig. 1a). First,
belonging to the Lower Ganges Delta, the region is fed by
a vast network of the Ganges distributaries (IUCN Bangla-
desh 2015; Khan 2018). At the southernmost extremities,
it ends up forming the largest single block of the mangrove
forest, the Sundarbans. At least, 15 large estuarine rivers
traversed the entire 10,000 km2 forest dividing into islands
of varying sizes (Denzau et al. 2015; Khan 2018). Intercon-
nected by canals, creeks, and rivulets, the tidal rivers run
nearly vertical in a north–south direction lying eastward in
parallel from West Bengal up to the locality of occurrence
(Denzau et al. 2015) (Fig. 1a; Supplementary Material C).
On a second note, the adjacent districts of the Sundarbans
periphery hold dense anthropogenic settlements both in the
state of West Bengal, India, and Bangladesh (Supplemen-
tary Material Table C.1). Except mangrove, these districts
have no other forest cover. The anthropogenic landscape
is dominated by fisheries farms (IUCN Bangladesh 2015)
rather than agroforestry, a known and suitable habitat for
wolves (Jhala 2003; Menon 2014). For wolves, these riv-
ers appear as potential barriers. Because, the effects of the
Sundarbans rivers on tigers (Panthera tigris), despite living
in the Sundarbans for centuries, are also proven significant
(Aziz et al. 2018).
Additionally, we found that taxonomy and ecology of the
cryptic Indian grey wolf, throughout its known limit, are
still least understood. Of particular importance to note is
that, in 2017, another sighting of a male wolf at an edge
of the Indian Sundarbans also created a stir similar to the
wolf of Bangladesh (Mukherjee 2017). The incident was
concluded as a dispersal behavior though the sighting spot, a
village grove, is severed from the Indian Sundarbans only by
a canal and the known population is about 300 km away hin-
dered by the estuary of the Hooghly River and dense human
settlements (Fig. 1a). Sightings of the Indian wolf within
2 years from two of the farthest corners of the Sundarbans
13
 M. Akash et al.

Fig. 3  Skull of the Indian

grey wolf Canis lupus pal-
lipes reported in this article.
Cranium: dorsal view (a),
frontal view (b), palatal view
(c), nuchal view (d), lateral
view from right (e), and lateral
view from left (f). Mandible:
dorsal view (g), frontal view
(h), lateral view from right (i)
and lateral view from left (j).
Ak akrokranion, An angular
process, Au auditory bulla, B
basion, C canine, Co condyle,
Cr coronoid process, Ent enter-
orbitale (interorbital), F frontal,
N nasion, I incisor, J jugal, M
molar, Mx Maxilla, O occipital
condyle, P premolar, Pr pros-
thion, Pt parietal, Rh rhinion,
S synsphenion, Sm squamosal,
Sc sagittal crest, St staphylion,
Z zygomatic arch of squamosal.
Numeric placed against the
corresponding tooth denotes
their corresponding number in
the order of appearance. Red-
dashed circles denote anomalies
and blunt traumas

only manifests further inquiry to understand possibly the
most challenging dispersal route for wolves. Compared to
the observations on wolf movement by Joly et al. (2019) and
Mech and Boitani (2010), the distance might seem incon-
spicuous, however, studded with large rivers; the peripher-
ies comprise dense human habitations. Ciucci et al. (2009)
denoted a somewhat similar remark on wolf movement from
the Apennines to the Alps traversing highways and settle-
ments. On the contrary, the topography of the Sundarbans
and adjacent regions is very different than the documented
dispersal routes of wolves. Thus, we oppose the likelihood
of any wolf individual to cross the entire rim of the Sundar-
bans through the peripheral human settlements. It is highly
unlikely without catching any attention; impossible at the
geopolitical boundary between India and Bangladesh, and
the Rupsa River of Bangladesh that harbors the seaport of
Mongla (Supplementary Material Fig. C1).
Our surmise gets buttressed by the pattern of conflict
incidents that occurred before the killing. Attempts and
predations on poultry and livestock received national atten-
tion (Supplementary Material Table C.2) only after the
Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS) Fani swept the
area on 3rd May 2019, a month before the killing took place
(Joint Typhoon Warning Center 2019). The first attack of
the wolf was reported on 16th May 2019, featured by three
different news portals (Supplementary Material Table C.2).
After a week, the attack on livestock became a national con-
cern, broadcasted in multiple media formats (Supplementary

13
On the reappearance of the Indian grey wolf in Bangladesh after 70 years: what do we know?
Material Table C.2). All reports showed a calf, completely
half-eaten from the rear—a stark sign of a canid attack
although initially subjected to tigers. When approached,
every respondent (n = 12) agreed on the trends of conflict.
The timeline of the cyclone and the initiation of conflict
records suggested a possible displacement of the individual
from the neighboring mangroves.
Topographically, the mangrove systems of the Bangladesh
Sundarbans hold 32.4% grassland mosaics (2061.22 km2) as
of 2006 (Islam 2014). These open grass meadows support
rich prey base composed of spotted deer (Axis axis Erxleben,
1777) and wild boar (Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758) (Khan and
Chivers 2007). The entire coasts of Bangladesh bear planted
mangrove growths with open dune system; many of which
are known for wild boar and spotted deer. For instance, man-
groves on the southern tip of Barguna, 10–15 km from the
locality of conflict, are the oldest, second to the Sundar-
bans in dimension (263.04 km2). These mangroves possess
agro-grassland landscape on buffer zone (Islam et al. 2020),
though large carnivores and conflict instances are unheard of
since the 2000s (Denzau and Denzau 2010). However, the
coastal mangroves of Bangladesh have never been exclu-
sively surveyed for small and mesocarnivores. The Sunda-
rbans is systematically surveyed for tigers only (Akash and
Zakir 2020).
In conclusion, we do not overthrow the possibility of
long-ranging dispersal behavior of wolves. Given the geo-
graphical features of the region, cryptic nature of the spe-
cies, and pattern of the occurring incidents, we, through
this note on the Indian wolf sighting in Bangladesh after
70 years, strongly advise a systematic camera-trapping study
in the coastal mangroves as well as along their peripheries.
Acknowledgements  We thank the Bangladesh Forest Department as
they preserved the specimen with care, and provided permission and
cooperation for carrying out the research. We are thankful to Dr Yad-
vendradev Jhala, Dr Jan F Kamler, and Dr William Duckworth for
their comments on the identification. For administrative support, we
are grateful to Dr M Anwarul Islam and Kabir Mahmood, the district
commissioner of Barguna. We also owe our thanks to Hairaj Majhi for
providing the necessary information.
Author contributions  MA conducted the fieldwork with the assistance
of FTZM and DCH. HK and MRI designed the protocol for DNA study.
RNR and UFC carried out the lab work. MA and UFC prepared the
manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the manuscript.
Funding  The research was a self-funding endeavor.
Compliance with ethical standards  ration as the standard mammalian museum specimen. Curator
Conflict of interest  The authors declare no competing interest.
Ethical approval  The collection of tissue samples and examination of
the skull was carried out under the permission of the Bangladesh For-
est Department. The skeletal remains, after examination, stay under
the custody of the Amtali Range Office, an outpost of the Bangladesh
Forest Department.
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