Russian Wolf
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| Russian Wolf | ||||||||||||||||
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| Canis lupus communis Schreber, 1775 |
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 Russian wolf range
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The Russian Wolf (Canis lupus communis) is a subspecies of Grey Wolf which occurs in north-central Russia. It is one of five grey wolf subspecies present in the Russian Federation, which includes the Eurasian Wolf, the Caspian Sea Wolf, the Tibetan Wolf and the Tundra Wolf.
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[edit] Size
The Russian wolf is large by grey wolf standards, with an average weight of 55 kg and a range of 30-80 kg for males and an average of 45 kg and a range of 23-55 kg for females. [1]
[edit] Diet
Wolves in Russia are abundant and highly successful keystone predators in areas devoid of humans, to the extent that the Russian government considers them to be overpopulating. When working in packs, they will hunt large ungulates such as Chamois, Maral, Wild Boar and Moose. Wolves will compete with tigers for limited prey, so their numbers tend to go down when tigers are re-introduced. [2]
Wolves in Russia have been known to be more aggressive toward humans than their North American cousins,[3][4] with numerous attacks being reported, particularly in rural areas where the populace relies heavily on livestock and lacks effective means of defense.
[edit] History
At the beginning of the 20th century, the newly formed soviet government worked heavily to eradicate wolves and other predators during an extensive land reclamation program. There was no room for the wolf or any other predator in their plans, so government officials instructed the Red army to exterminate predators on sight; a project that was carried out very efficiently, resulting in the extinction of the Caspian Tiger. During The Great Patriotic War, when the Russian government focused its attention on repelling the Nazi invasion, Wolf populations were given some respite, and actually increased.
After the defeat of Germany, the USSR focused on rebuilding its territories, thus resuming the wolf exterminations. The USSR destroyed 42,300 wolves in 1945, 62,700 wolves in 1946, 58,700 wolves in 1947, 57,600 in 1948, and 55,300 in 1949. From 1950 until 1954, an average of 50,000 wolves were killed annually. The wolf survived mostly because of the vast amount of territory devoid of humans. The first actual Soviet studies on wolves were limited to finding new ways of destroying them. From the 1970's to the 1990's, attitudes began to change in a way which favored protecting the wolf.
Government backed wolf exterminations have been largely discontinued since the fall of the Soviet Union. As a result, their numbers have stabilized somewhat, though they are still hunted legally. It is estimated that nearly 15,000 of Russia's wolves are killed annually for the fur trade and because of human conflict and persecution. Due to the new capitalist government's focus on economy, and other issues plaguing the former communist nation, the study of wolves has been largely discontinued from lack of funding.[5]
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