Left crippled, likely by a poacher’s snare, an Indian wolf from the grasslands of Pune district has defied the odds to emerge as the leader of a 12-member pack, in what conservationists describe as a rare story of resilience in a rapidly shrinking habitat. The wolf’s journey has been documented by the Grasslands Trust, which works to conserve and restore grasslands across the Pune region.

First sighting and early years

>> The male wolf was first spotted during the monsoon of 2021 as a fringe challenger in a landscape dominated by an established alpha. Researchers identified him by a distinctive tuft of hair on his face.