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Kazakhstan at a glance

Little is known about the wolves here.

Alyona Shmalenko with the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan wrote the following in this paper:

“Kazakhstan comprises the largest part of the steppe ecosystem in relatively undisturbed condition in Eurasia. Nowadays this is the biggest natural habitat for steppe wolf (Canis lupus campestris) in the world. The presence of wolf as the largest carnivore is very important factor for keeping the balance of the whole steppe ecosystem. On the other hand, man-wolf conflict in Kazakhstan has a long history and still exists due to the traditional stockbreeding based agriculture in this country. To find a compromise between the interests of the local population and the conservation of the unique steppe ecosystem, an effective management of the wolf population is needed. “The regulation and monitoring systems of the wolf population applied in Kazakhstan nowadays are very insufficient. Since the dissolution of the USSR, wolves in Kazakhstan are, so to say, ‘outside the law.’ Wolves are still hunted as a nuisance all over the year without special permission.”

Species Information

Species
Common Name: gray wolf
Latin Name: Canis lupus

Subspecies
Common Name:
Latin Name: Canis lupus lupus

Current Wolf Population, Trend, Status
Number of wolves: About 30,000
Population trend: Stable
Legal protection: No protection

This page was last updated in 2020.

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