Ethiopian Wolves: Photographing the Rarest Canine in the World
Ethiopia is a relatively overlooked country amongst the wildlife photography community. Whilst it’s home to many of Africa’s “typical” safari animals, I was in pursuit of its more elusive creatures back in May 2018. Seeking sanctuary at the top of Ethiopia’s mountain ranges, the Ethiopian wolf now numbers at only 500 individuals and is found nowhere else on the planet. Despite a dainty fox-like appearance, they are more closely related to grey wolves than they are to our familiar red foxes. The Ethiopian wolf’s ancestors were once found over a far wider area than they are today, back when Africa was colder and their favoured afro-alpine habitat was more common. As East Africa warmed up, they were forced up Ethiopia’s towering peaks, where they can now be found on the high plateaus. Here they’ve now specialised to feed on high-altitude rodents and, whilst still social pack animals, they split off during the day to hunt rats individually. The giant mole rat; a wolf’s favourite pre...
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