Relevance for UPSC (Paper & Subject): Environment — biodiversity conservation, protected area management

The Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary in Latehar, Jharkhand, is India’s only protected area dedicated mainly to the Indian grey wolf. Set in mixed grasslands, forest patches and undulating hills, the sanctuary supports not only wolves but also deer, jackals and other wild fauna — and it illustrates an often-neglected conservation theme: protecting open, community-linked ecosystems rather than only dense forests.

Why it matters

• Ecology and livelihoods: Wolves act as top-order predators that help keep herbivore populations and pest dynamics balanced, which indirectly supports local agriculture.
  
• Community ties: Tribal and forest communities live around the sanctuary; their practices and local knowledge are vital for coexistence and monitoring.
  
• Conservation gap: Most policy attention goes to big-cat parks; species like the Indian grey wolf need specially tailored protection (habitat corridors, anti-poaching, human–wildlife conflict management).
  

The Sanctuary 

• Habitat type: Open natural ecosystems — grasslands + scrub — are crucial for wolf denning and hunting.
  
• Threats: Habitat fragmentation, retaliatory killings, and prey depletion from overgrazing/fencing.
  
• Solutions: Community patrols, landscape connectivity, scientific monitoring (population surveys, den mapping), and livelihood support to reduce conflict.
  

Key terms

• Indian grey wolf: A subspecies adapted to dry and open habitats.
  
• Open natural ecosystems: Non-forest habitats (grasslands, scrub) that sustain specialized species.
  
• Human–wildlife coexistence: Policies and local measures that reduce conflict while conserving wildlife.
  

UPSC Prelims question:
Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary is located in which state?
(a) Odisha (b) Chhattisgarh (c) Jharkhand (d) West Bengal

One-line wrap:
Protect grasslands and people together — that is the surest way to secure India’s wolves.