Ahmedabad: Gujarat’s effort to return captive-bred Indian wolves to the wild has achieved a significant conservation breakthrough, with released wolves not only learning to hunt natural prey but also breeding successfully in the open landscape.The development marks a major step forward for the state’s wolf rewilding programme, which began as an experimental soft-release exercise at Nadabet in Kutch. Since 2024, nearly 15 wolves have been released into the wild, with two breeding pairs producing pups on two occasions.One of the most significant successes came with the birth of a male wolf pup, Randeepak, at Nadabet. He was born in the wild to captive-bred wolves Sona and Pradeep, which were released in Sep 2024 along with two pups.Forest officials said the released packs have adapted to natural conditions and begun hunting independently. Nilgai account for the majority of their kills, indicating that the wolves are increasingly functioning as wild predators rather than relying on human-provided food.Principal chief conservator of forests Jaipal Singh said the programme was significant because it sought to achieve something that conventional zoo-breeding programmes could not — reproduction outside captivity and the formation of naturally functioning wolf packs.“We intend to release over 40 wolves in total and the programme will continue,” Singh said.The Nadabet facility was established to acclimatise zoo-bred wolves to natural conditions. Prey-training, gradual exposure to the landscape and continuous monitoring form key components of the soft-release process.The programme’s origins can be traced to Divyangi, a female wolf at Sakkarbaug Zoo that had a severe impairment in one foreleg when she was brought to the zoo in 2010. Divyangi bred with the male obtained from Mysore and produced a pup in 2017 and four more in 2018. Although she died that year, her breeding legacy continued through her offspring.The Nadabet project formally began in Aug 2023, when four wolves were brought from Sakkarbaug Zoo. Five pups were born at the facility in Jan 2024. The first soft release followed in Sep 2024 with four wolves, while another five-member pack was released at Santapur in Patan in Nov that year.Twelve more wolves were brought from Sakkarbaug in Jan 2025. Another soft release involving four wolves was undertaken at Nadabet in Jan, while seven pups were born at the centre in Feb this year.The programme envisages establishing around 50 wolves across Banaskantha, Vav-Tharad, Patan and Kutch between 2026 and 2031.
