World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/snapping-turtle): Snapping Turtle — wildlife guide.

## The bite force myth
Snapping turtles are widely believed capable of severing fingers or biting through a broom handle. This has been measured, and it is not true. Published work on Chelydra serpentina found bite forces around 209 newtons, and alligator snapping turtles produce more but remain well within the range of a large dog, which exceeds 1,000 newtons. A snapping turtle bite is a serious injury that can require stitches; it is not an amputation.

The reputation comes from behaviour rather than power. On land a snapping turtle is genuinely aggressive, and the reason is structural: its plastron — the underside of the shell — is small and cross-shaped, leaving the limbs, neck and tail exposed. It cannot pull itself into its shell the way a box turtle can. Threatened out of water, its only options are to lunge or be eaten. In water, the same animal will almost always swim away.

## Why moving one off a road matters
Road mortality is one of the most significant pressures on both species, and it falls disproportionately on adult females. Females leave the water in early summer to find nest sites, sometimes travelling considerable distances overland, and roads intersect those routes.

The demographic effect is severe. Snapping turtles mature slowly — around 15 to 20 years for alligator snappers — and lay small clutches with very high egg and hatchling mortality. A population depends on adult females surviving for decades to produce enough successful nests. Removing them at road crossings takes out precisely the individuals the population cannot replace. Helping a turtle across in the direction it was already heading is genuinely useful conservation, and for a large snapper the safe method is to lift by the back of the shell above the rear legs, or slide it onto a car mat and drag it — never by the tail, which can dislocate its vertebrae.

## The alligator snapping turtle's decline
Commercial harvesting through the twentieth century removed alligator snapping turtles from much of their range. They were taken in large numbers for meat, particularly for soup, and the scale of the take was possible because the animals are long-lived, slow to mature and easy to trap. Populations that took decades to build were removed in years.

Most US states now prohibit or tightly restrict harvest, and the species is listed as Vulnerable. Recovery is slow by necessity: an animal that first breeds at 15 to 20 years old and lays a modest clutch cannot rebound quickly no matter how well it is protected. Habitat loss, river channelisation, hook-and-line bycatch and road mortality continue alongside. The common snapping turtle, which matures faster and tolerates degraded and urban water bodies well, remains Least Concern and abundant.

## WARN work
WARN publishes free, sourced species education, including corrections to the myths that shape how people treat animals. Snapping turtles are killed on sight because of a reputation the measurements do not support, and knowing that a turtle on a road is a breeding female worth helping across is a change anyone can act on immediately.

## Donation hook
If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/snapping-turtle): Snapping Turtle — wildlife guide.

## Can a snapping turtle bite your finger off?
No. Measured bite force for a common snapping turtle is around 209 newtons — a large dog exceeds 1,000. A bite is a serious injury that may need stitches, but the claims about severed fingers and broken broom handles are not supported by measurement.

## Why are snapping turtles aggressive on land?
Because they cannot hide. Their plastron is small and cross-shaped, leaving the neck, limbs and tail exposed, so they cannot withdraw into the shell. Out of water, lunging is the only defence available. In water they almost always retreat instead.

## How does an alligator snapping turtle catch fish?
With a lure. It lies motionless with its mouth open and wriggles a small pink worm-shaped appendage on its tongue. Fish that come to investigate are taken by a strike too fast to follow with the naked eye.

## How big do snapping turtles get?
Common snapping turtles typically reach 8 to 16 kg. Alligator snapping turtles are far larger, with verified wild animals around 100 kg — among the heaviest freshwater turtles in the world.

## Are snapping turtles endangered?
The common snapping turtle is Least Concern and widespread. The alligator snapping turtle is Vulnerable, following decades of commercial harvesting for meat, and recovers slowly because it does not breed until 15 to 20 years old.

## How should you move a snapping turtle off a road?
In the direction it was already heading, and never by the tail, which can dislocate its vertebrae. Lift a small one by the back of the shell above the rear legs; for a large one, slide it onto a car mat or shovel and drag it clear. The turtles crossing roads are mostly breeding females.

## Where do snapping turtles live?
Snapping Turtles live in North America — eastern and central United States, southern Canada. Snapping turtles are two North American freshwater species — the common snapping turtle and the larger alligator snapping turtle, which lures fish with a worm-shaped appendage on its tongue; both are far less dangerous than their reputation, with bite forces well below those of a large dog.

## How long do snapping turtles live?
Snapping Turtles typically live 15–20 years for the alligator snapping turtle. Snapping turtles are two North American freshwater species — the common snapping turtle and the larger alligator snapping turtle, which lures fish with a worm-shaped appendage on its tongue; both are far less dangerous than their reputation, with bite forces well below those of a large dog. Wild and captive figures can differ; use the sources listed on the guide for the underlying studies.

## What do snapping turtles eat?
The alligator snapping turtle is one of very few reptiles that uses a lure to hunt. Snapping turtles are two North American freshwater species — the common snapping turtle and the larger alligator snapping turtle, which lures fish with a worm-shaped appendage on its tongue; both are far less dangerous than their reputation, with bite forces well below those of a large dog.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/reindeer): Reindeer — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are Arctic and subarctic deer in which both sexes grow antlers; the Eurasian name reindeer and the North American name caribou refer to the same species, with some Eurasian populations herded and most North American ones wild.

## Introduction
Reindeer and caribou are the same species: Rangifer tarandus. The name you use is mostly geography — 'reindeer' in Eurasia, where some populations have been herded for thousands of years, and 'caribou' in North America, where the animals remain largely wild. They are the only deer in which females routinely grow antlers, and they are among the most thoroughly Arctic-adapted large mammals alive.

Their hooves are the engineering detail people remember. In summer the pads spread wide for grip on soft tundra; in winter the rim hardens and the centre tightens, exposing sharp edges that cut into ice and crusted snow. That seasonal switch lets one foot design work across habitats that would defeat most ungulates.

Reindeer are also unusual in what they eat. Lichens — especially reindeer moss, a fruticose lichen of the genus *Cladonia* — form a critical winter food when little else is available beneath the snow. A reindeer's stomach hosts specialised microbes that break down lichen carbohydrates that most mammals cannot digest. Combined with UV vision that makes lichen glow against white snow, reindeer are equipped for a world where the menu is sparse, buried and seasonal.

## Takeaway
Reindeer and caribou are the same species, Rangifer tarandus; the names reflect geography and management history, not separate animals.

## Takeaway
Females routinely grow antlers — the only deer where this is normal, though males shed earlier in the year.

## Takeaway
Hooves change seasonally: soft and spreading in summer for tundra, hard-edged in winter for ice and crusted snow.

## Takeaway
Reindeer can see into the ultraviolet range, which makes lichen and urine marks stand out against snow.

## Takeaway
Some Eurasian populations have been herded for thousands of years; most North American caribou remain migratory and wild.

## Takeaway
Climate change, industrial development and disturbance to migration routes are the main modern pressures on many populations.

## Takeaway
Several North American caribou subpopulations are declining sharply even though the species as a whole is Least Concern.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/reindeer): Reindeer — wildlife guide.

## Reindeer and caribou — one species, two names
Rangifer tarandus spans the circumpolar north from Scandinavia through Siberia to Alaska and Canada. European and Asian animals are generally called reindeer; North American ones are caribou. The split is cultural and historical, not taxonomic. Genetic studies confirm a single species with regional variation, not separate lineages that warrant different names.

In Fennoscandia and Siberia, reindeer herding is ancient — among the oldest continuous human–animal partnerships on Earth. Sámi herders in northern Scandinavia and Nenets herders on the Yamal Peninsula still move animals between coastal summer pastures and inland winter forests, following routes established over centuries. The relationship shapes both human culture and reindeer ecology: herded animals are selectively bred for temperament and meat quality, and their grazing patterns differ from wild herds. In North America, caribou are overwhelmingly wild, undertaking some of the longest land-mammal migrations recorded. The Porcupine herd crosses hundreds of kilometres between calving grounds on the Arctic coastal plain of Alaska and winter range in the boreal forest — a round trip that can exceed 1,500 km in a year.

Subspecies and ecotypes differ in body size, antler shape and migration behaviour, but they interbreed where ranges meet. The barren-ground caribou of the Arctic tundra is smaller and more migratory; the woodland caribou of the boreal forest is larger and moves shorter distances. Treating 'reindeer' and 'caribou' as separate species is a common mistake, and it obscures the fact that conservation status varies sharply between populations of the same animal.

## Antlers on females, and why that matters
In every other deer genus, only males grow antlers — with rare exceptions in older, hormonally unusual females. In reindeer, antlers on females are the norm. Cows use them to compete for winter forage and to defend feeding craters in hard snow, and they retain antlers longer into the winter than bulls, who shed after the rut in late autumn. A pregnant cow entering the leanest months of the year still carries antlers, which gives her an advantage in accessing the lichen and moss she needs to sustain a developing calf.

Antlers are the fastest-growing bone in the mammal skeleton, rebuilt from scratch each year. The velvet that covers growing antlers is richly supplied with blood vessels and nerves; once growth finishes, reindeer scrape the velvet off against shrubs and rocks, leaving polished bone. The entire cycle is driven by daylight length and hormone shifts tied to the Arctic season — bulls begin growing in spring and shed after the rut; cows begin later and retain antlers well into winter.

Antler size varies with nutrition and age. A well-fed bull in his prime carries a massive palmated rack; a cow's antlers are smaller but no less functional. In herded populations, selective pressure on antler size differs from wild populations, where large antlers signal fitness to rivals and mates. The fact that both sexes carry antlers makes reindeer social dynamics during winter fundamentally different from other deer, where only males are armed.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/reindeer): Reindeer — wildlife guide.

## Feet built for two seasons
Reindeer hooves are a textbook case of seasonal adaptation. In summer, the footpad is soft and spreads under body weight, increasing surface area on boggy tundra and reducing sinking. The dewclaws — small lateral hooves — splay outward for extra support on soft ground. In winter, the pad shrinks and stiffens while the hoof rim hardens, exposing a sharp edge that cuts into ice and packed snow — the same foot that floated on muskeg in July grips a frozen river in January.

The click sound often heard in migrating herds comes partly from a tendon slipping over an ankle bone with each step — a sound audible at considerable distance across open tundra and possibly used for herd cohesion when visibility is poor. Combined with excellent smell and UV-extended vision that makes lichen conspicuous against snow, reindeer are equipped for an environment where food is sparse, seasonal and widely scattered.

Reindeer also use their hooves to dig through snow to reach lichen and other ground vegetation — a behaviour called cratering. A herd moving across winter range leaves a trail of circular pits in the snow, each dug by an animal standing in place and pawing downward. The efficiency of cratering depends on snow depth and hardness; rain-on-snow events that create an ice crust above soft snow can make this feeding strategy impossible, which is one of the ways climate change threatens reindeer directly.

## What threatens them now
Globally the IUCN lists Rangifer tarandus as Least Concern because the species remains widespread and numerous in aggregate. That headline figure hides serious regional trouble. Several North American caribou populations — particularly woodland and mountain ecotypes in the south of the range — have declined sharply as logging, mining, roads and energy development fragment migration routes and calving grounds. The southern mountain caribou of British Columbia and Alberta has been assessed as threatened in Canada; some herds contain fewer than a hundred animals.

Climate change adds pressure in multiple ways: rain-on-snow events that freeze into ice layers locking away lichen, shifting insect harassment that costs energy during the brief Arctic summer, and shrub expansion that changes predator dynamics by giving wolves and bears more cover on previously open tundra. In herded Eurasian systems, the challenges are different but real: pasture degradation from overgrazing and industrial disturbance, predator compensation payments that strain herders' economics, and the difficulty of maintaining traditional herding routes when mining and infrastructure occupy former pasture.

The gap between global status and local reality is the defining conservation problem for reindeer. A species can be Least Concern while individual populations face extirpation — and for Rangifer tarandus, that is not a hypothetical but a current situation in parts of North America and Fennoscandia.

## WARN work
WARN publishes free, sourced species education for animals whose conservation story is obscured by a global listing that masks local collapse. Reindeer and caribou are Least Concern on paper and in crisis in specific populations — exactly the kind of nuance free public education should carry.

## Donation hook
If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/reindeer): Reindeer — wildlife guide.

## Are reindeer and caribou the same animal?
Yes. Both names refer to Rangifer tarandus. 'Reindeer' is the usual term in Eurasia, where some populations have been herded for thousands of years. 'Caribou' is the usual North American name for largely wild, migratory animals. They are one species, not two.

## Why do female reindeer have antlers?
Female reindeer routinely grow antlers — the only deer where this is normal. Cows use them to compete for winter forage and to defend feeding craters dug in hard snow. They also retain antlers longer into winter than males, who shed after the rut.

## How do reindeer survive Arctic winters?
A thick insulating coat, seasonal hoof changes that grip ice, the ability to reduce metabolic rate, and a diet of lichen, moss and other tundra plants accessed by digging through snow. Their vision extends into ultraviolet, which helps locate lichen against a snowy background.

## Do reindeer migrate?
Many do, particularly North American caribou, which undertake some of the longest land-mammal migrations on Earth between calving grounds and winter range. Eurasian herded reindeer follow seasonal pasture movements managed by herders rather than entirely wild routes.

## What do reindeer / caribous eat?
Reindeer / Caribous eat Lichens, mosses, grasses, leaves and fungi. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are Arctic and subarctic deer in which both sexes grow antlers; the Eurasian name reindeer and the North American name caribou refer to the same species, with some Eurasian populations herded and most North American ones wild.

## Where do reindeer / caribous live?
Reindeer / Caribous live in Arctic and subarctic tundra of Eurasia and North America, Taiga forest in winter. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are Arctic and subarctic deer in which both sexes grow antlers; the Eurasian name reindeer and the North American name caribou refer to the same species, with some Eurasian populations herded and most North American ones wild.

## Are reindeer / caribous dangerous?
Reindeer / Caribous are not generally dangerous to people. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are Arctic and subarctic deer in which both sexes grow antlers; the Eurasian name reindeer and the North American name caribou refer to the same species, with some Eurasian populations herded and most North American ones wild. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

## How long do reindeer / caribous live?
A precise wild lifespan for reindeer / caribous is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are Arctic and subarctic deer in which both sexes grow antlers; the Eurasian name reindeer and the North American name caribou refer to the same species, with some Eurasian populations herded and most North American ones wild. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

## How big is a reindeer / caribou?
A Reindeer / Caribou is about Seasonal hooves (Spread in summer, sharpen in winter for ice). Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are Arctic and subarctic deer in which both sexes grow antlers; the Eurasian name reindeer and the North American name caribou refer to the same species, with some Eurasian populations herded and most North American ones wild. Conservation status: Habitat loss, disturbance, climate change.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/pallas-cat): Pallas's Cat — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul) is a small, densely furred wild cat of Central Asian steppe and semi-desert, with a flat round face, circular pupils and an ambush-hunting lifestyle focused on pikas and small rodents.

## Introduction
Pallas's cat, or manul, is a small wild cat of the cold steppes and semi-deserts of Central Asia — roughly the size of a domestic cat but built entirely differently. Its body is compact and low, its legs short, its fur extraordinarily dense, and its face unusually flat and round, which gives the species the slightly cartoonish look that has made it an internet favourite.

That appearance is functional. Pallas's cats hunt almost exclusively from ambush, crouching low in rocky cover or burrows and pouncing on pikas, voles and ground squirrels at close range. They rarely run anything down. Their pupils contract to small circles rather than slits — unusual among felids — and their low profile keeps them below the sightline of both prey and larger predators.

The species is also one of the least studied wild cats. Camera traps have improved detection, but Pallas's cats occur at low density across a vast, harsh range spanning Mongolia, western China, Kazakhstan and the Tibetan Plateau fringe. Most of what is known about their breeding, diet and territorial behaviour comes from a handful of long-term field studies and captive observations rather than systematic survey.

## Takeaway
Pallas's cat is a small Central Asian wild cat, roughly house-cat sized but with a compact, low-slung build and extremely dense fur.

## Takeaway
Its flat, round face and circular pupils are unusual among felids and contribute to its distinctive appearance.

## Takeaway
It hunts almost exclusively by ambush, preying mainly on pikas, voles and ground squirrels.

## Takeaway
The species is secretive and patchily distributed, making population estimates unreliable.

## Takeaway
Habitat degradation, rodent control programmes and secondary poisoning are the main documented threats.

## Takeaway
It is Least Concern globally, but data quality is poor and local declines are suspected.

## Built for cold and concealment
Pallas's cats inhabit some of the harshest cat country on Earth: high steppe, rocky outcrops and semi-desert from the Caspian region through Mongolia and into western China, at elevations that bring severe winters and thin air. Their coat is among the densest in the felid family — long, thick and grey with faint banding — and the fur extends onto the belly and between paw pads for insulation on frozen ground. A Pallas's cat in full winter pelage appears almost spherical, the fur adding apparent bulk to an already compact frame.

The body is deliberately low. Short legs, a stocky trunk and a flattened face keep the cat below the visual horizon of prey and reduce its silhouette against rocks. Unlike most cats, which have vertical slit pupils, Pallas's cats have pupils that contract to small circles. The functional reason is debated — some researchers suggest it relates to the flat facial structure rather than to a specific visual adaptation — but the result is an eye that looks distinctly unlike a typical cat's.

Pallas's cats are poor long-distance runners. Their short legs and heavy build suit a life spent crouching, stalking and pouncing at close range rather than chasing prey across open steppe. When threatened, they flatten themselves against the ground or retreat into burrows rather than climbing trees or sprinting — a response that reflects both their morphology and the open, treeless habitat they occupy.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/pallas-cat): Pallas's Cat — wildlife guide.

## An ambush specialist
Pallas's cats are not pursuit hunters. They spend long periods concealed in rocky crevices, old burrows or hollows, emerging to stalk pikas and voles at close range before a short rush and pounce. Pikas — small, diurnal lagomorphs of Central Asian steppe — are the primary prey across much of the range, and a Pallas's cat's hunting success depends on pika colonies being within a few hundred metres of its den.

Because the cat depends on rodent populations that fluctuate with grazing pressure, climate and disease, its own numbers likely track prey abundance closely. When pika colonies are suppressed — whether by habitat change, overgrazing or deliberate control programmes aimed at protecting pasture — Pallas's cats lose food directly. The hunting style also means the species is rarely seen: a cat that does not move across open ground is a cat that camera traps miss, and population estimates remain extrapolations rather than counts.

Breeding appears timed to prey abundance. Females give birth in sheltered dens — usually burrows dug by marmots or foxes — and raise litters of two to six kittens. The breeding season is brief, and kitten survival depends on the rodent crop in that year. In poor prey years, entire litters may fail, which is one reason Pallas's cat populations can fluctuate sharply even without direct human pressure.

## Secretive enough to hide in plain sight
Pallas's cats are listed Least Concern, but that assessment rests on a thin evidence base. They are difficult to survey, occur at low density, and occupy a vast but fragmented range across countries where systematic monitoring is limited. Most population figures are extrapolations rather than counts, and the IUCN assessment itself notes that the species may be more threatened than the listing suggests.

What is better documented is the threat profile. Steppe degradation from overgrazing by domestic livestock reduces both vegetative cover and prey populations. Rodenticide use and secondary poisoning — where a cat eats a poisoned rodent — kill cats directly. Herding infrastructure, road building and mining disturb den sites in rocky terrain and bring traffic into previously quiet steppe. Domestic dogs accompanying herders may also harass or kill Pallas's cats near camps.

None of these pressures necessarily threaten the species everywhere, but together they explain why a Least Concern listing comes with significant uncertainty. In Mongolia, which holds a substantial share of the global population, steppe conditions have deteriorated in some regions as livestock numbers have increased and pasture management has weakened. Protecting Pallas's cats in practice means protecting pikas, controlling rodenticide use, and maintaining the rocky steppe mosaic the species requires.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/pallas-cat): Pallas's Cat — wildlife guide.

## The internet cat that is not a pet
Pallas's cats have become widely shared online, which has raised awareness but also distorted expectations. They are not domesticated, not available as pets, and poorly suited to captivity — they are highly stress-prone, frequently fail to breed in zoos, and many institutions have abandoned attempts to maintain them. Their flat faces, dense fur and grumpy expressions photograph well, but the animal behind the image is a wild predator of Central Asian steppe.

The useful outcome of their visibility is attention to steppe ecosystems that otherwise receive little public interest. Steppe is among the most converted and least protected habitat types globally — cleared for cropland, overgrazed by livestock, and fragmented by roads and mining. Pallas's cats depend on steppe remaining steppe, with pika colonies intact and rocky cover undisturbed.

Protecting Pallas's cats means protecting pikas, controlling rodenticide use, and maintaining the rocky steppe mosaic the species requires — conservation goals that benefit a wider community of Central Asian grassland wildlife, including corsac foxes, steppe eagles and argali sheep. The cat's internet fame is worth something if it directs attention to a habitat that desperately needs it.

## WARN work
WARN publishes free, sourced species education for animals that are widely recognised but poorly understood. Pallas's cat is a clear example: an internet-famous face attached to a secretive steppe predator whose conservation needs are almost entirely about habitat and prey, not about captive breeding.

## Donation hook
If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/pallas-cat): Pallas's Cat — wildlife guide.

## What is a Pallas's cat?
Pallas's cat, or manul, is a small wild cat native to the cold steppes and semi-deserts of Central Asia. It is roughly house-cat sized but stockier, with extremely dense grey fur, a flat round face and short legs.

## Why does Pallas's cat look so round?
Its flat face, dense fur and compact low body are adaptations for a cold, open habitat where it hunts by ambush from rocky cover. The round appearance that makes it distinctive online is functional — it keeps a low profile against the steppe.

## What do Pallas's cats eat?
Mainly pikas, voles and ground squirrels — small rodents and lagomorphs of the steppe. They hunt almost exclusively by ambush from burrows and rocky cover rather than by chasing prey across open ground.

## Can you keep a Pallas's cat as a pet?
No. They are wild, protected felids, highly stress-prone in captivity and not domesticated. Online videos have raised their profile, but they belong in steppe habitat, not in homes.

## Are Pallas's cats endangered?
The IUCN lists them as Least Concern, but the assessment acknowledges poor data. Habitat degradation, rodent control and secondary poisoning are documented threats, and local declines are suspected across parts of the range.

## Where do Pallas's cats live?
Pallas's cats inhabit cold steppe, rocky outcrops and semi-desert from the Caspian region through Mongolia to western China, at elevations bringing severe winters. They hunt by ambush from burrows and rocky cover, preying mainly on pikas and small rodents within a few hundred metres of their den. Listed Least Concern but poorly surveyed.

## Are Pallas's cats dangerous?
Pallas's cats are not considered dangerous to people. They are small wild felids — roughly 2–4 kg, house-cat sized — that flatten against the ground or retreat into burrows when threatened rather than attacking. They are highly stress-prone in captivity, poorly suited as pets, and listed on CITES Appendix II.

## How long do Pallas's cats live?
Wild Pallas's cat lifespan is poorly documented because the species is secretive and patchily distributed across Central Asia. Females raise litters of two to six kittens in burrows dug by marmots or foxes, with kitten survival tied to the rodent crop each year. Steppe degradation, rodenticide use and secondary poisoning are documented threats.

## How big is a pallas's cat / manul?
A Pallas's Cat / Manul is about 2–4 kg. Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul) is a small, densely furred wild cat of Central Asian steppe and semi-desert, with a flat round face, circular pupils and an ambush-hunting lifestyle focused on pikas and small rodents. Conservation status: Habitat degradation, rodent control, secondary poisoning.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/sand-cat): Sand Cat — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The sand cat (Felis margarita) is a small pale desert felid of the Sahara, Arabian Peninsula and Central Asia, adapted to extreme aridity with fur-covered footpads, large ears for heat dissipation and the ability to survive without drinking free water.

## Introduction
The sand cat is a small wild felid specialised for life in true desert — not semi-arid scrub, but the open sand and gravel of the Sahara, the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Central Asia. It is pale, compact and remarkably difficult to study: low density, nocturnal habits and a habitat that erases tracks within hours mean most of what is known comes from scattered camera-trap records and captive observations.

Desert cats face a binding constraint on water. The sand cat's response is physiological and behavioural: kidneys that produce highly concentrated urine, a diet of rodents and reptiles that supplies metabolic water, and burrowing that avoids the worst daytime heat. Individuals can survive without drinking free water, though they will use it when it is available.

Despite its name, the sand cat is not exclusively a dune specialist. It occupies a range of arid habitats including gravel plains, dry riverbeds and sparse desert scrub, wherever small prey and burrow shelter exist. Its pale coat, broad head and oversized ears give it a distinctive appearance that has made it a sought-after subject for camera-trap studies across North Africa and the Middle East — studies that are slowly filling in a natural history that remained largely blank for decades.

## Takeaway
Sand cats are small desert specialists found in the Sahara, Arabian Peninsula and Central Asian deserts.

## Takeaway
They can survive without drinking free water, obtaining moisture from prey and producing highly concentrated urine.

## Takeaway
Fur covers the footpads, insulating against hot sand and improving grip on loose surfaces.

## Takeaway
They shelter from daytime heat in burrows — usually abandoned ones dug by foxes or rodents.

## Takeaway
Large ears help dissipate heat as well as detect prey moving beneath the sand.

## Takeaway
They are Least Concern but poorly surveyed; habitat disturbance and reduced prey are the main concerns.

## Living without drinking
Sand cats face the same water problem as other desert mammals: evaporation is relentless and standing water is absent for months or years. Their kidneys concentrate urine to an extreme degree, minimising water loss with each excretion. Prey — mainly small rodents such as jirds and gerbils, but also birds, reptiles and insects — supplies metabolic water directly through digestion and oxidation.

Between kidney function, nocturnal activity and burrow shelter, a sand cat can complete its life without ever drinking. This is not unique among desert carnivores, but the sand cat is one of the few felids that occupies exclusively arid dune and gravel desert rather than the semi-arid margins where water occasionally appears. Captive sand cats will drink when water is offered, confirming that the behaviour is facultative rather than obligatory.

The metabolic cost of desert life is high. Sand cats must hunt nightly to meet energy and water demands, and prey availability tracks rainfall — rodent populations boom after desert rains and crash during drought. A sand cat's condition in any given year reflects the rodent crop, which means population density is likely far more variable than the Least Concern listing implies. In drought years, sand cats range further and hunt longer, exposing themselves to predators and traffic on the desert margins.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/sand-cat): Sand Cat — wildlife guide.

## Feet, ears and the problem of hot sand
Sand cat fur extends between the toes and covers the footpads — an adaptation shared with other desert species such as the fennec fox. The fur insulates against surface temperatures that would burn bare pads and spreads the animal's weight slightly on loose sand, reducing sinking on dune slopes.

The ears are large relative to the head, carrying a dense network of blood vessels that dump heat at night when the cat is active. During the day, sand cats retreat to burrows — typically abandoned fox or rodent tunnels — where temperature is far lower than at the surface. A sand cat in its burrow during a Saharan midday is experiencing conditions radically different from those above ground.

Sand cats also bark. Unlike most felids, which meow, purr or chuff, sand cats produce a short, sharp bark — particularly when startled or during territorial disputes. The vocalisation is audible and has been recorded in both wild and captive animals. Combined with insulated feet, heat-radiating ears and underground shelter, the sand cat's desert toolkit is comprehensive, even if the animal itself remains rarely seen.

## A cat that is hard to count
Sand cats occur at low density across enormous areas, are active mainly at night, and leave few lasting signs in habitat that wind erases daily. Camera traps have improved detection considerably — projects in Morocco, Algeria, Israel and the UAE have confirmed sand cat presence in areas where the species was previously unrecorded — but systematic surveys remain rare across much of the range.

The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern based on a presumed large population across the Sahara and Arabia, but acknowledges that the estimate is uncertain. What is clearer is the direction of pressure: habitat degradation from off-road traffic and development, reduced prey from rodent control programmes, and capture for the exotic pet trade in some regions all affect local populations without yet triggering a global status change.

Three subspecies are recognised — *Felis margarita margarita* in the Sahara, *F. m. harrisoni* in the Arabian Peninsula and *F. m. thinobia* in the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts of Central Asia — and their status may differ locally even if the species-level listing does not reflect that. A sand cat in the Moroccan Sahara and one in the Arabian Empty Quarter face different pressures, and treating them as a single homogeneous population obscures local declines.

## Why desert cats matter
Desert ecosystems receive a fraction of the conservation attention given to forests or coral reefs, partly because they appear empty and partly because they are hard to work in. Sand cats are a useful indicator: if a desert supports a breeding population of a specialist carnivore, the rodent community and burrow systems it depends on are intact.

Protecting sand cats is largely about protecting desert habitat from fragmentation — keeping dune systems connected, controlling off-road disturbance, and avoiding broad-scale rodenticide programmes that remove both prey and poison predators through secondary exposure. In the Arabian Peninsula, where rapid development has transformed much of the desert landscape, sand cat records from camera traps in protected areas are among the few data points confirming that specialist desert wildlife persists.

The sand cat also illustrates a broader point about felid conservation: the small cats of arid habitats are almost universally less studied and less funded than tigers, lions or leopards, despite facing comparable habitat loss. Accurate information about what sand cats need — burrows, rodents, connected desert — is a prerequisite for keeping them, even as a Least Concern species, from declining quietly across a range too vast to monitor effectively.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/sand-cat): Sand Cat — wildlife guide.

## WARN work
WARN publishes free, sourced species education for animals in habitats the public rarely visits. Desert species like the sand cat are Least Concern on paper and almost invisible in practice — which is exactly why accurate free information about them is worth publishing.

## Donation hook
If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/sand-cat): Sand Cat — wildlife guide.

## Where do sand cats live?
In true desert — sand and gravel habitats of the Sahara, the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Central Asia. They are specialists for arid dune and desert plains, not semi-arid scrub margins.

## Do sand cats need to drink water?
Not necessarily. Highly concentrating kidneys, nocturnal habits, burrow shelter and a diet of rodents and other prey supply enough metabolic water for survival without free water, though they will drink when it is available.

## Why do sand cats have fur on their paws?
The fur insulates footpads against hot sand and improves traction on loose surfaces. It is the same principle seen in other desert species such as the fennec fox.

## Are sand cats endangered?
The IUCN lists them as Least Concern, but acknowledges poor survey data. Habitat disturbance, prey reduction and occasional capture for the pet trade are documented pressures in parts of the range.

## What do sand cats eat?
Mainly small desert rodents, supplemented with birds, reptiles and insects. They locate prey by sound — including movement beneath the sand — and dig or pounce to catch it.

## Can sand cats be kept as pets?
They are wild, protected felids adapted to desert life. They are not domesticated, not suited to household conditions, and trade in wild-caught animals is restricted under CITES Appendix II.

## Are sand cats dangerous?
The sand cat's response is physiological and behavioural: kidneys that produce highly concentrated urine, a diet of rodents and reptiles that supplies metabolic water, and burrowing that avoids the worst daytime heat. They are nocturnal; shelters in burrows by day. Give wild sand cats space; do not corner or handle them.

## How long do sand cats live?
A precise wild lifespan for sand cats is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. The sand cat (Felis margarita) is a small pale desert felid of the Sahara, Arabian Peninsula and Central Asia, adapted to extreme aridity with fur-covered footpads, large ears for heat dissipation and the ability to survive without drinking free water. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

## How big is a sand cat?
A Sand Cat is about 1.5–3.4 kg. The sand cat (Felis margarita) is a small pale desert felid of the Sahara, Arabian Peninsula and Central Asia, adapted to extreme aridity with fur-covered footpads, large ears for heat dissipation and the ability to survive without drinking free water. Conservation status: Habitat disturbance, prey reduction, pet trade.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/fishing-cat): Fishing Cat — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a Vulnerable wetland felid of South and Southeast Asia that swims and dives to catch fish, with partially webbed toes and a stocky build adapted to marsh, mangrove and reedbed habitat.

## Introduction
The fishing cat is a medium-sized wild felid of South and Southeast Asian wetlands — one of the few cats that takes to water by choice rather than necessity. It swims well, dives after fish, and has partially webbed toes that help it move through marsh and mangrove. Its coat is olive-grey with dark spots and stripes, and its build is stockier than most small cats, closer to a small leopard cat in size but heavier in the frame.

The name is accurate. Fishing cats eat fish, frogs, crustaceans and water birds, and they hunt at the water's edge and in shallow channels. They will also take rodents and livestock on occasion, which creates conflict with people in some areas. But the binding threat is not retaliation — it is the rapid loss of the wetlands they require.

Fishing cats are also one of the most poorly known Asian felids. They are secretive, active mainly at night, and occupy habitat that is being converted faster than it can be surveyed. What is documented — from radio-telemetry studies in India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia — confirms a wetland specialist whose survival depends entirely on the persistence of marsh, mangrove and reedbed ecosystems across a region that is losing them at extraordinary speed.

## Takeaway
Fishing cats are wetland specialists of South and Southeast Asia, listed Vulnerable by the IUCN.

## Takeaway
They swim and dive to catch fish, frogs and crustaceans — unusual behaviour among felids.

## Takeaway
Partially webbed toes and a stocky build are adaptations for marsh and mangrove life.

## Takeaway
Wetland drainage, aquaculture expansion and mangrove clearance are the primary threats.

## Takeaway
They occasionally prey on poultry and fish stocks, creating local conflict with people.

## Takeaway
Population declines are suspected across most of the range as wetland area shrinks.

## A cat that hunts in water
Most cats avoid water. Fishing cats enter it deliberately. They swim across channels, wade through reedbeds, and dive to grab fish — sometimes using their front paws in a scooping motion that resembles a bear's fishing technique. The claws do not fully retract, which may help grip slippery prey and is one of the few felid adaptations where partially exposed claws are an advantage rather than a wear concern.

Webbing between the toes is partial rather than extensive, but enough to improve propulsion in soft mud and shallow water. The coat is dense and water-resistant, shedding moisture quickly after a swim. Combined with a muscular, low-slung body, the fishing cat is built for a habitat — marsh, mangrove, reed swamp — that most felids cannot exploit at all.

Fishing cats also hunt on land. Rodents, birds and small mammals are taken from the wetland margins, and in some areas poultry and fish from aquaculture ponds bring the cats into direct contact with people. But the core of the diet is aquatic, and the core of the habitat requirement is permanent or seasonal standing water with vegetative cover — a combination that is disappearing across tropical Asia faster than any single species can adapt.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/fishing-cat): Fishing Cat — wildlife guide.

## Wetlands under pressure
The fishing cat's problem is habitat specificity in a habitat category that is disappearing fast. South and Southeast Asia have lost a large proportion of their original wetlands to drainage for agriculture, aquaculture ponds, urban expansion and mangrove clearance for coastal development. The Mekong Delta, the Ganges-Brahmaputra floodplain and the coastal wetlands of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have all been transformed within a single human generation.

A fishing cat can use modified landscapes at the margins — irrigation channels, rice paddies, suburban ponds — but it cannot persist where wetland connectivity is gone entirely. Radio-telemetry studies in India and Sri Lanka show that fishing cats require home ranges with access to multiple water bodies and vegetative cover; a single isolated pond surrounded by cropland is not sufficient.

The IUCN Vulnerable listing reflects suspected population declines across most of the range, driven primarily by this habitat loss rather than by direct persecution, though retaliatory killing after poultry depredation occurs locally. The species has already disappeared from many areas where wetlands have been converted, and the rate of conversion shows no sign of slowing across much of South and Southeast Asia. Restoring even small wetland fragments can support fishing cats if prey and cover remain.

## Conflict at the water's edge
Fishing cats occasionally take poultry, fish from aquaculture ponds and small livestock, which brings them into conflict with people living near wetlands. In Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, retaliatory killing and road mortality near fragmented wetland patches are documented. A fishing cat caught raiding a fish pond at night is often killed on sight.

Conflict mitigation — securing poultry at night in predator-proof enclosures, compensating documented losses, and maintaining wetland buffer zones around villages — reduces killing pressure where it has been tried. But conflict is secondary to habitat loss: a cat that still has intact marsh can feed on fish and rodents without entering a chicken coop; a cat whose marsh has been converted to aquaculture has nowhere else to go and will take whatever food is available.

The overlap between fishing cat habitat and human food production is not accidental. Wetlands are productive land, and the same water that supports fishing cats supports rice, fish farming and grazing. Resolving the conflict requires recognising that wetland conservation and human livelihood are not opposing goals — intact wetlands provide flood control, fisheries and water filtration alongside fishing cat habitat.

## Why wetland cats are indicator species
Fishing cats require connected wetland systems with permanent or seasonal water, vegetative cover and prey. Their presence indicates a functioning wetland food web — fish, amphibians, rodents and birds in sufficient density to support a mid-sized predator. When fishing cats disappear from a wetland complex, it is a signal that the ecosystem has lost either its water, its prey or its connectivity.

Protecting fishing cats means protecting wetlands, which deliver flood control, water filtration, carbon storage and fisheries far beyond the cat's own ecological role. In the Chilika Lake region of India and the Haor wetlands of Bangladesh, fishing cat conservation projects have used the species as an umbrella for broader wetland protection — a strategy that works because the cat's requirements align with the wetland's ecological functions.

The Vulnerable listing is a warning, not a final verdict. Fishing cats persist in protected areas and in modified landscapes where wetland fragments remain. But the trajectory across the range is downward, and the habitat driving that decline — tropical and subtropical wetlands — is among the most threatened on Earth. Without wetland protection, the fishing cat follows the same path as the wetland itself: fragmented, drained and eventually absent.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/fishing-cat): Fishing Cat — wildlife guide.

## WARN work
WARN publishes free, sourced species education for animals whose habitat is being erased faster than the species can be assessed. The fishing cat is a wetland indicator in a region losing wetlands at extraordinary speed — the kind of story free public education should tell clearly.

## Donation hook
If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/fishing-cat): Fishing Cat — wildlife guide.

## Do fishing cats really fish?
Yes. They swim, wade and dive to catch fish, frogs, crustaceans and water birds. They sometimes scoop fish with their front paws. Fish and aquatic prey are a core part of the diet, not an occasional supplement.

## Why are fishing cats Vulnerable?
Primarily because of wetland loss. Drainage for agriculture, aquaculture expansion, mangrove clearance and urban development are removing the marsh and mangrove habitat they depend on across South and Southeast Asia.

## Can fishing cats swim?
Yes, and they do so deliberately to hunt. Partially webbed toes, a dense water-resistant coat and a stocky build all support movement through water and soft mud.

## Where do fishing cats live?
In wetlands across South and Southeast Asia — marsh, mangrove, reed swamp and the margins of rivers and lakes. They also use modified habitats such as irrigation channels and rice paddies where wetland connectivity remains.

## Do fishing cats attack livestock?
They occasionally take poultry and fish from aquaculture ponds, which creates local conflict. Retaliatory killing occurs, but habitat loss is the primary threat across the range.

## How big is a fishing cat?
Medium-sized for a wild cat — roughly twice the weight of a domestic cat, with a stocky, muscular build suited to wetland movement rather than speed on open ground.

## What do fishing cats eat?
Fishing cats eat fish, frogs, crustaceans, water birds and rodents, hunting at the water's edge and in shallow channels by swimming and diving. Partially webbed toes help them move through marsh and mangrove. They weigh 5–16 kg with a stocky, olive-grey spotted build. Fish and aquatic prey are core to the diet, not an occasional supplement. Wetland drainage across South and Southeast Asia is the primary threat to this Vulnerable species.

## Are fishing cats dangerous?
Fishing cats rarely threaten people but occasionally take poultry and fish from aquaculture ponds, creating local conflict. Retaliatory killing occurs, though habitat loss is the primary threat across the range. They are medium-sized wild felids — weighing 5–16 kg — that enter water deliberately to hunt, unlike most cats. Partial webbing and a dense water-resistant coat support movement through marsh, mangrove and reed swamp across South and Southeast Asia.

## How long do fishing cats live?
A precise wild lifespan for fishing cats is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a Vulnerable wetland felid of South and Southeast Asia that swims and dives to catch fish, with partially webbed toes and a stocky build adapted to marsh, mangrove and reedbed habitat. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/saiga-antelope): Saiga Antelope — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is a Central Asian steppe ungulate with a distinctive trunk-like nose, downlisted to Near Threatened in 2023 after recovery from Critically Endangered, with Kazakhstan holding around 1.9 million animals but remaining vulnerable to mass disease die-offs.

## Introduction
The saiga is one of the most distinctive ungulates alive: a compact antelope with a swollen, trunk-like nose that droops over its mouth. The nose warms and humidifies frigid winter air and filters dust in summer — a dual-purpose organ for life on the open steppe. Saiga have existed in roughly this form since the Pleistocene, alongside mammoths and woolly rhinos, and they remain one of the great spectacles of Central Asian grassland.

Their conservation history is dramatic. Saiga were Critically Endangered after the collapse of the Soviet era, when poaching for horns and meat reduced Kazakhstan's population from over a million to tens of thousands. Protection and anti-poaching work brought a remarkable recovery — Kazakhstan alone now holds around 1.9 million animals — and the IUCN downlisted the species to Near Threatened in December 2023. The recovery is real. So is the vulnerability.

Saiga are also animals of mass movement. Herds that numbered in the hundreds of thousands migrated across open steppe in a spectacle comparable to the wildebeest of the Serengeti — and the same openness that made those migrations possible makes saiga extraordinarily vulnerable to fences, roads and disease outbreaks that can sweep through a concentrated population in days.

## Takeaway
Saiga are Central Asian steppe antelope with a distinctive swollen nose that filters dust and warms cold air.

## Takeaway
They recovered from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened in December 2023, with Kazakhstan holding around 1.9 million animals.

## Takeaway
Mass die-offs from pasteurellosis and other disease outbreaks can kill tens of thousands in a single event.

## Takeaway
Poaching for horns — used in traditional medicine — was the main historical threat and remains a risk.

## Takeaway
Saiga undertake long seasonal migrations across open steppe that require unobstructed range.

## Takeaway
Fence construction, road building and agricultural conversion fragment the migration routes they depend on.

## Takeaway
The recovery is one of the most significant ungulate comebacks in recent decades, but it is not irreversible.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/saiga-antelope): Saiga Antelope — wildlife guide.

## The nose that built a species
The saiga's most striking feature is its nose — enlarged, flexible and trunk-like, with complex nasal passages that serve two functions. In winter, the convoluted airways warm frigid incoming air before it reaches the lungs, reducing heat loss on the open steppe where shelter is absent. In summer, the same structure filters dust and cools the air inhaled across open, dry grassland where wind carries fine particles for weeks at a time.

Saiga are small for antelope — roughly the size of a large dog — with a compact body built for long-distance travel across flat grassland. Both sexes have horns; males' are larger and amber-coloured, used in rutting contests each December. They exist in two subspecies: *Saiga tatarica tatarica* on the steppes of Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan, and the smaller, more endangered *Saiga tatarica mongolica* in western Mongolia, where fewer than a thousand animals persist.

Saiga calves are born in late spring, timed to coincide with the flush of steppe vegetation. Females gather in dense calving aggregations — a strategy that overwhelms predators through numbers — and the sight of thousands of newborn saiga on the Betpak-Dala steppe is one of the great wildlife events of Central Asia, when conditions allow. The same aggregation behaviour that protects calves from wolves creates the conditions for catastrophic disease die-offs when bacteria proliferate in crowded herds.

## Collapse and recovery
After the Soviet Union dissolved, saiga populations collapsed. Unregulated poaching for horns — sold for use in traditional medicine — and meat reduced Kazakhstan's herd from well over a million to fewer than 50,000 by the early 2000s. The species was Critically Endangered, and extinction within a decade was a realistic prospect.

Strict protection, anti-poaching enforcement and international attention reversed the trajectory. By the early 2020s, Kazakhstan's population had recovered to around 1.9 million animals — one of the most dramatic ungulate recoveries on record. The IUCN downlisted saiga to Near Threatened in December 2023, acknowledging the recovery while noting that the species remains vulnerable to disease outbreaks and habitat fragmentation.

The recovery is not uniform. The Mongolian subspecies remains critically small. Russian populations are recovering but from a lower base. Uzbekistan holds a remnant population. The Kazakhstan story dominates the narrative because the numbers are largest there, but saiga conservation is a multi-country problem requiring coordinated protection of migration routes that cross national borders — routes that fences, roads and political boundaries increasingly obstruct.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/saiga-antelope): Saiga Antelope — wildlife guide.

## Die-offs that erase years of recovery
Saiga are extraordinarily vulnerable to mass mortality events. In 2015, a pasteurellosis outbreak linked to a bacterium normally harmless in the saiga gut killed more than 200,000 animals — over half the Betpak-Dala population — in roughly two weeks. Similar events have occurred before in the twentieth century. The mechanism appears to involve environmental triggers — humidity and temperature — that allow normally benign bacteria to proliferate fatally when saiga are gathered in dense calving or rutting aggregations.

These die-offs are the reason Near Threatened, not Least Concern. A population of nearly two million can lose half its animals in a fortnight. No other antelope faces this specific combination of recovery potential and catastrophic disease vulnerability. Monitoring, veterinary research and maintaining genetic diversity across subpopulations are the main responses, but there is no vaccine or prophylactic that eliminates the risk.

The 2015 die-off occurred during a period of recovery, demonstrating that population size alone does not confer safety. Saiga biology — dense aggregations, a gut microbiome vulnerable to environmental triggers, and open steppe that offers no refuge from disease spread — creates a structural vulnerability that no amount of anti-poaching success can remove. Future die-offs remain possible whenever environmental conditions align.

## Steppe that must stay open
Saiga migrate seasonally across enormous distances on open steppe, and they require unobstructed range to do so. Fence construction — particularly along national borders — blocks migration routes and has caused documented mortality as animals tangle in wire or pile up at barriers they cannot cross. The Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border fence and internal fencing for livestock management both fragment saiga range.

Road building, railway lines and agricultural conversion fragment the landscape further. Saiga can cross roads but not always safely — vehicle collisions are a growing source of mortality as infrastructure expands across the steppe. Oil and gas development in western Kazakhstan brings roads, traffic and disturbance into previously quiet calving areas.

Protecting saiga means protecting steppe connectivity: keeping migration corridors open, managing border fencing to allow passage, and resisting the conversion of semi-arid grassland to cropland. The Mongolian subspecies, numbering only a few thousand, faces these pressures acutely in a range that is already small and isolated. For saiga, open steppe is not a preference but a requirement — and open steppe is what Central Asia is converting fastest. Every fence, road and ploughed field is a piece of the migration route that saiga cannot afford to lose.

## WARN work
WARN publishes free, sourced species education for species whose conservation status changed recently enough that public understanding lags behind the data. Saiga were Critically Endangered within living memory and are Near Threatened now — a genuine recovery that still carries catastrophic vulnerability.

## Donation hook
If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/saiga-antelope): Saiga Antelope — wildlife guide.

## Why does the saiga have such a strange nose?
The swollen, trunk-like nose warms and humidifies frigid winter air before it reaches the lungs, and filters dust and cools air inhaled across dry summer steppe. It is a dual-purpose adaptation for Central Asian grassland.

## Are saiga antelope endangered?
They were Critically Endangered but were downlisted to Near Threatened in December 2023 after a major recovery in Kazakhstan, which now holds around 1.9 million animals. They remain vulnerable to mass disease die-offs.

## What killed so many saiga in 2015?
A pasteurellosis outbreak — linked to a bacterium normally harmless in the saiga gut — killed more than 200,000 animals in roughly two weeks. Environmental conditions appear to trigger these catastrophic events.

## Why were saiga poached?
Primarily for their horns, which were sold for use in traditional medicine, and for meat. Poaching surged after the Soviet Union collapsed and protection broke down, reducing populations from over a million to tens of thousands.

## Are saiga antelopes dangerous?
Saiga Antelopes are not generally dangerous to people. The saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is a Central Asian steppe ungulate with a distinctive trunk-like nose, downlisted to Near Threatened in 2023 after recovery from Critically Endangered, with Kazakhstan holding around 1.9 million animals but remaining vulnerable to mass disease die-offs. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

## How long do saiga antelopes live?
A precise wild lifespan for saiga antelopes is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. The saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is a Central Asian steppe ungulate with a distinctive trunk-like nose, downlisted to Near Threatened in 2023 after recovery from Critically Endangered, with Kazakhstan holding around 1.9 million animals but remaining vulnerable to mass disease die-offs. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

## How big is a saiga antelope?
A Saiga Antelope is about 26–69 kg. The saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is a Central Asian steppe ungulate with a distinctive trunk-like nose, downlisted to Near Threatened in 2023 after recovery from Critically Endangered, with Kazakhstan holding around 1.9 million animals but remaining vulnerable to mass disease die-offs. Conservation status: Near Threatened (downlisted Dec 2023).


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/arabian-oryx): Arabian Oryx — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) is a desert antelope of the Arabian Peninsula that was Extinct in the Wild by the 1970s and restored through captive breeding and reintroduction; it is now Vulnerable with a growing but still small wild population.

## Introduction
The Arabian oryx is a white antelope of the desert Arabian Peninsula, with dark markings on the face and legs and long, straight horns that can reach over 70 cm. It is adapted to some of the hottest, driest habitat on Earth: pale coat reflecting radiation, ability to tolerate body temperatures that would distress most mammals, and behaviour that minimises activity during peak heat.

It is also the species that defines 'Extinct in the Wild' as a conservation category. By the early 1970s, hunting and habitat loss had eliminated the last wild Arabian oryx. Captive populations in zoos and private collections — descended from a handful of founders — were bred and reintroduced, starting in Oman in 1982. The species now exists in the wild again, though numbers remain modest and the Vulnerable listing reflects how recently the recovery began.

The Arabian oryx recovery is frequently cited as proof that captive breeding can save a species. That claim is largely justified — but it comes with qualifications. Every wild oryx descends from a tiny founder pool, reintroduced populations require active protection from poaching, and the desert habitat they need is under pressure from overgrazing, development and climate change across the Peninsula.

## Takeaway
The Arabian oryx was Extinct in the Wild by the early 1970s and restored through captive breeding and reintroduction.

## Takeaway
Reintroduction began in Oman in 1982; wild populations now exist in Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan.

## Takeaway
It is listed Vulnerable — recovered from Extinct in the Wild but the wild population remains relatively small.

## Takeaway
Pale coat, heat tolerance and behavioural adaptations allow survival in extreme desert heat.

## Takeaway
Hunting was the primary historical cause of extinction; habitat loss and poaching remain risks.

## Takeaway
The recovery is one of the clearest examples of captive breeding enabling wild restoration.

## Takeaway
Extinct in the Wild is an IUCN category meaning a species survives only in captivity — the Arabian oryx no longer qualifies.

## Extinct in the Wild — what that means
The IUCN category 'Extinct in the Wild' (EW) applies when a species survives only in captivity, cultivation or as a naturalised population well outside its original range. It is not the same as Extinct: the species' genes and biology persist, but the wild population is gone. The Arabian oryx reached this point by the early 1970s, when the last wild animals were killed in Oman — victims of uncontrolled hunting with modern vehicles and firearms across a desert that offered no cover.

A captive safety net preserved the species. Animals held in zoos, private reserves and the 'World Herd' assembled in the United States maintained a breeding population descended from perhaps nine founders. From those captive animals, reintroduction programmes rebuilt wild populations. The oryx is the flagship example of EW recovery, though it remains Vulnerable because wild numbers are still modest and the genetic base is narrow.

The EW category matters because it describes a specific, recoverable state — not the end of a species but the absence of a wild population. Several other species have since passed through EW and back, including the Przewalski's horse and the black-footed ferret. The Arabian oryx was the first, and its story established the template that captive breeding programmes still follow today.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/arabian-oryx): Arabian Oryx — wildlife guide.

## Built for desert heat
Arabian oryx inhabit gravel plains and sandy desert where summer temperatures exceed 50°C. Their white coat reflects solar radiation rather than absorbing it. They can allow body temperature to rise significantly above normal mammalian levels — reducing the need to sweat and lose precious water — and then dissipate accumulated heat during cooler night hours when they feed and move.

They obtain moisture from food: roots, tubers, buds and desert melons supply enough water that free drinking is not required, though oryx will drink when water is available after rain. Herds are small and nomadic, moving in response to rainfall and the green flush that follows it. Long straight horns are used in dominance contests between males and as defence, though large predators are scarce in their habitat.

Arabian oryx also dig. They excavate shallow depressions in shade — under acacia trees or rock overhangs — where surface sand is cooler, and rest during the hottest hours. This behavioural thermoregulation, combined with physiological tolerance of elevated body temperature, allows survival in conditions that would kill most ungulates within hours. Reintroduced oryx in Oman and Saudi Arabia have demonstrated that these adaptations remain intact in captive-bred animals released back into desert habitat.

## The reintroduction story
The first reintroduction released captive-bred oryx into the desert of central Oman in 1982, in the Jiddat al-Harasis region. The programme succeeded: animals bred, herds grew, and the model was replicated. Saudi Arabia established the Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area; the United Arab Emirates created the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Abu Dhabi; Jordan released oryx into Wadi Rum.

Wild populations now number in the low thousands across the Peninsula — a genuine recovery from zero, but not yet a secure one. The Vulnerable listing reflects this: the species exists in the wild again, but populations are small, fragmented and vulnerable to poaching, habitat degradation and inbreeding if not actively managed. Every wild Arabian oryx alive today descends from a captive population that was itself descended from a very small founder group.

Reintroduction is not a one-time event. Ongoing management includes anti-poaching patrols, supplementary feeding during drought, veterinary monitoring and genetic management across herds. The Arabian oryx in the wild is a managed wild population, not a self-sustaining one — and that distinction matters for how the recovery is understood and for what future reintroduction programmes can realistically promise.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/arabian-oryx): Arabian Oryx — wildlife guide.

## What still threatens them
Hunting caused the original extinction and remains the primary risk to reintroduced populations. Even where legal protection exists, poaching for meat and trophies occurs. In Oman, where the first reintroduction took place, poaching pressure has required sustained anti-poaching effort to maintain the wild herd. Vehicle access to desert areas has made poaching easier than it was when the last wild oryx were killed in the 1970s.

Habitat degradation from overgrazing by domestic camels and goats, road construction and oil infrastructure reduces the desert range available. Fencing for ranching and military installations fragments the landscape. Climate change brings longer droughts and more extreme heat events that stress reintroduced herds already living at the physiological limit. A drought year can force oryx to range further from protected areas, increasing exposure to poaching and road traffic.

The genetic bottleneck is a quieter but persistent concern. Captive founder populations were small, and reintroduced herds descend from that narrow base. Managed breeding programmes monitor genetic diversity and exchange animals between herds, but the long-term health of the wild population depends on maintaining connectivity and continuing active protection — neither of which can be assumed indefinitely across a region undergoing rapid development. The Arabian oryx recovery demonstrates what captive breeding can achieve; it also demonstrates that recovery is a process, not an event, and that the work does not stop when the first animals are released.

## WARN work
WARN publishes free, sourced species education including the conservation concepts behind the headlines. The Arabian oryx is the textbook case for Extinct in the Wild and recovery through reintroduction — a story worth telling accurately because it shapes what people believe is possible.

## Donation hook
If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/arabian-oryx): Arabian Oryx — wildlife guide.

## Was the Arabian oryx really extinct?
It was Extinct in the Wild — meaning no wild population survived, but the species persisted in captivity. By the early 1970s, hunting had eliminated all wild Arabian oryx. Captive breeding and reintroduction restored wild populations from 1982 onward.

## What does Extinct in the Wild mean?
It is an IUCN category for species that survive only in captivity or outside their natural range, with no wild population. It is not the same as fully Extinct. The Arabian oryx no longer qualifies — wild populations exist again.

## How was the Arabian oryx saved?
Captive populations in zoos and reserves preserved the species after wild extinction. Captive-bred animals were reintroduced to Oman from 1982, and subsequent programmes in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan rebuilt wild herds.

## Are Arabian oryx endangered?
They are listed Vulnerable. This reflects a genuine recovery from Extinct in the Wild, but wild populations remain relatively small and face ongoing risks from poaching and habitat degradation.

## Where do Arabian oryx live now?
In the desert and gravel plains of the Arabian Peninsula — reintroduced populations in Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, plus remaining captive herds in reserves worldwide.

## Are arabian oryxs dangerous?
The species now exists in the wild again, though numbers remain modest and the Vulnerable listing reflects how recently the recovery began. Give wild arabian oryxs space; do not corner or handle them.

## How long do arabian oryxs live?
A precise wild lifespan for arabian oryxs is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. The Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) is a desert antelope of the Arabian Peninsula that was Extinct in the Wild by the 1970s and restored through captive breeding and reintroduction; it is now Vulnerable with a growing but still small wild population. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/european-bison): European Bison — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The European bison (Bison bonasus) is Europe's largest land mammal, restored from around fifty-four captive animals when the last wild individual died in 1927 to more than 6,800 wild bison today through captive breeding and reintroduction.

## Introduction
The European bison, or wisent, is the heaviest land mammal in Europe — a shaggy, forest-dwelling bovid closely related to the American bison but adapted to woodland rather than open prairie. Bulls can exceed 900 kg. The species once ranged across the deciduous and boreal forests of Europe, from Spain to the Caucasus.

By the early twentieth century, hunting and habitat loss had eliminated every wild European bison. The last wild animal was shot in the Caucasus in 1927. At that point, the entire species existed in captivity — around fifty-four animals in zoos and private estates, descended from an even smaller founder pool. From that genetic bottleneck, breeding programmes rebuilt the population. There are now more than 6,800 wild European bison across Poland, Belarus, Russia and reintroduced sites from Germany to Romania.

The recovery is genuine and remarkable, but the European bison is not a species that can be left alone. Populations are fragmented, genetically bottlenecked, and dependent on active management — habitat protection, anti-poaching, supplementary winter feeding in some reserves, and careful genetic exchange between herds. The Near Threatened listing reflects this: a major comeback that still requires hands-on conservation.

## Takeaway
European bison are Europe's largest land mammal, adapted to forest rather than open grassland.

## Takeaway
The last wild individual was shot in 1927; the entire species then survived in captivity from around fifty-four animals.

## Takeaway
Captive breeding and reintroduction have rebuilt the wild population to more than 6,800 animals.

## Takeaway
The species is Near Threatened — a major recovery, but populations remain fragmented and actively managed.

## Takeaway
Two genetic lines persist — the Lowland-Caucasian and the Bialowieza line — from the captive founder pool.

## Takeaway
Forest habitat loss, poaching and inbreeding depression remain concerns despite the population increase.

## Takeaway
Reintroduction continues across Europe, with herds now in Germany, Romania, Spain and other countries.

## From extinction to six thousand
The European bison's recovery is among the most successful mammal restorations in history. Wild hunting eliminated the species across its range during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The last confirmed wild animal — a Caucasian bison — was killed in 1927 in the western Caucasus. Every European bison alive at that moment was in a zoo or private collection.

The captive population numbered around fifty-four animals, descended from just twelve founders. Two breeding lines were maintained: the Lowland-Caucasian line and the Białowieża line, reflecting the two subspecies that had existed in the wild. Careful managed breeding minimised inbreeding and preserved what genetic diversity remained. Reintroduction to the Białowieża Forest in Poland began in 1952, and the wild population grew steadily from there.

By the 2020s, more than 6,800 wild bison roamed forests across Poland, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Germany and other countries. Reintroduction continues — new herds established in the Netherlands, Spain and the Czech Republic — but each release requires years of preparation, habitat assessment and post-release monitoring. International pedigree coordination keeps breeding and reintroduction aligned across the continent. Without that coordination, the recovery would have stalled long ago.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/european-bison): European Bison — wildlife guide.

## A forest bison, not a prairie bison
European bison are not American bison in a different continent. They are forest animals: browsing on leaves, bark, shoots and woodland grasses rather than grazing open prairie. Herds are smaller — typically fewer than thirty animals — movements are less dramatic, and the habitat they require is deciduous and mixed forest with open glades and meadows where sunlight reaches the ground.

This matters for reintroduction. European bison need forest — not just any land, but woodland with enough understorey browse and open areas for grazing. Reintroduction projects in Germany's Rothaar Mountains, Romania's Vânători-Neamț and Spain's San Cebrián have succeeded where suitable forest exists. Projects on unsuitable land — open grassland without tree cover, or forest too dense for ground vegetation — have failed. Bison released into pine plantations without understorey browse struggle to find food through winter.

European bison also shape the forest they inhabit. Their browsing opens the understorey, their wallowing creates small clearings, and their dung supports invertebrate communities. In the Białowieża Forest — the largest remaining tract of old-growth lowland forest in Europe — bison have been part of the ecosystem for decades since reintroduction, and their ecological role is increasingly studied as reintroduction expands to other European woodlands.

## The genetic bottleneck
Every European bison alive today descends from around twelve founders. That is an extraordinarily narrow genetic base for a large mammal, and inbreeding depression — reduced fertility, weaker immune function, lower calf survival — has been a documented concern throughout the recovery.

Managed breeding programmes track pedigree carefully and exchange animals between herds to maintain diversity. The two genetic lines — Lowland-Caucasian and Białowieża — are managed to preserve distinct ancestry while avoiding further inbreeding. Hybridisation between the lines is controlled: some herds are maintained as pure Białowieża, others as Lowland-Caucasian, and a third category of mixed-line herds exists for genetic management. Pedigree records for every captive and reintroduced bison are maintained centrally.

The result is a population that has grown numerically but remains genetically vulnerable. A disease outbreak, a severe winter, or a poaching event in a small reintroduced herd can remove genetic diversity that took decades to build. The European bison recovery is measured in headcount, but the genetic health of the species requires continuing active management that cannot be discontinued without risk. Future reintroductions must draw from genetically managed source herds, not simply from whichever reserve has surplus animals.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/european-bison): European Bison — wildlife guide.

## What Near Threatened means here
The IUCN Near Threatened listing reflects genuine progress and remaining risk. More than 6,800 wild bison is a remarkable number compared with fifty-four captive animals in 1927. But populations are fragmented across isolated reserves and reintroduced sites, poaching occurs in eastern parts of the range — particularly in the Caucasus and Ukraine — and habitat quality varies sharply between well-managed reserves and marginal forest.

Reintroduction continues — new herds established in countries where the species had been absent for centuries — but each new population requires long-term management, habitat protection and genetic monitoring. The European bison is no longer on the brink, but it is not yet a species that can be left alone. Supplementary feeding in harsh winters, veterinary intervention, and anti-poaching patrols are part of normal management at most wild sites across its range.

The Near Threatened listing also acknowledges that the species' range remains far smaller than its historical extent. European bison once ranged from Spain to the Caucasus; today they occupy a fraction of that area, concentrated in central and eastern Europe. Full ecological restoration — bison as a widespread forest species — remains a long-term goal, not a current reality, and every new reintroduction site adds management obligations that persist for decades after the first animals are released.

## WARN work
WARN publishes free, sourced species education for recovery stories that are real but incomplete. The European bison went from fifty-four captive animals to more than six thousand in the wild — a genuine success that still requires active management, which is the detail most retellings leave out.

## Donation hook
If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/european-bison): European Bison — wildlife guide.

## Are European bison extinct?
Not anymore. The last wild individual was shot in 1927, after which the entire species survived in captivity from around fifty-four animals. Captive breeding and reintroduction have rebuilt a wild population of more than 6,800 bison across Europe.

## How many European bison are left?
More than 6,800 in the wild across Poland, Belarus, Russia, Romania and reintroduced sites in other European countries, plus several thousand in captivity. The wild population continues to grow through reintroduction.

## What is the difference between European and American bison?
European bison are forest-adapted browsers, eating leaves, bark and woodland vegetation. American bison are prairie grazers. They are separate species within the genus Bison, with different ecology, body shape and horn curvature.

## Why are European bison Near Threatened?
Despite recovery from near-extinction, populations remain fragmented, genetically bottlenecked from a tiny founder pool, and vulnerable to poaching and habitat loss. The listing reflects major progress that is not yet secure without continued management.

## Where can you see wild European bison?
In the Bialowieza Forest of Poland and Belarus, the Bieszczady Mountains, and reintroduced herds in Germany, Romania, Spain, the Netherlands and other European countries where suitable forest habitat exists.

## How did European bison recover from fifty-four animals?
Managed captive breeding in zoos and reserves preserved the species after the last wild death in 1927. Two genetic lines were maintained from twelve founders. Reintroduction began in 1952, and wild populations grew steadily with continued releases and protection.

## Where can I compare this recovery with extinctions that finished?
WARN profiles finished extinctions with living parallels at /wildlife-guides/extinct-animals/, and species that still survive only in captivity at /wildlife-guides/extinct-in-the-wild/ — the categories the European bison left behind.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/dhole): Dhole — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The dhole (Cuon alpinus) is an Endangered wild canid of South and Southeast Asian forests that hunts deer and wild pig in coordinated packs, communicates with whistles rather than barks, and is declining across most of its range.

## Introduction
The dhole is a medium-sized wild canid of South and Southeast Asian forests — russet-coated, with a dark bushy tail and a face that is more fox-like than wolf-like. It is neither wolf nor fox nor jackal but occupies its own genus, Cuon, and its own ecological niche: cooperative pack hunter of deer and wild pig in dense tropical and temperate forest.

Dholes are Endangered and declining across most of their range, yet they receive a fraction of the attention given to tigers or elephants sharing the same habitat. They hunt in packs of five to twelve, using stamina and coordination rather than strength to run down prey, and communicate with whistles and screams rather than the barks and howls of other canids. Habitat loss, depletion of prey, disease from domestic dogs and direct persecution are all documented threats.

Historical accounts describe dhole packs flushing tigers from kills and driving leopards from trees — claims that are difficult to verify but reflect the species' reputation as a formidable forest predator. What is verifiable is that dholes have disappeared from much of their former range in China, Southeast Asia and India, and persist mainly in protected areas where forest and prey remain intact.

## Takeaway
Dholes are Endangered wild canids of Asian forests, in their own genus Cuon rather than Canis or Vulpes.

## Takeaway
They hunt in packs of five to twelve, running down deer and wild pig through stamina and coordination.

## Takeaway
They whistle and scream to communicate — not bark or howl like wolves or domestic dogs.

## Takeaway
Habitat loss, prey depletion, disease from domestic dogs and direct persecution are the main threats.

## Takeaway
They share forests with tigers and leopards but receive far less conservation attention.

## Takeaway
Populations are declining across India, Southeast Asia and China; the species has already disappeared from many areas.

## Takeaway
Only around 2,000 mature individuals may remain globally, though survey data are poor.

## Asia's overlooked pack hunter
Dholes occupy the same forests as tigers, leopards and bears but are far less known. A typical pack contains five to twelve adults plus pups, cooperating to hunt deer, wild pig, hares and occasionally livestock. The strategy is endurance: dholes run prey over distance, taking turns to maintain pressure until the animal tires — a hunting method that requires open forest understorey and sufficient prey density to sustain the pack.

Physically, dholes are distinctive. Russet coat, dark muzzle, amber eyes and a bushy black tail. They have fewer teeth than most canids — one less pair of molars — an adaptation for a diet heavy in flesh rather than bone-crushing. Their jaw structure prevents the crushing bite of a wolf; instead they disembowel prey quickly, feeding rapidly before competitors arrive.

Dholes are roughly the size of a border collie but built for forest terrain: lighter, more agile, and capable of leaping and turning in dense understorey where a wolf would struggle. They are diurnal as well as crepuscular — active during daylight hours in a habitat where most large predators hunt at dawn and dusk — which may reduce direct competition with tigers and leopards for the same prey at the same time.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/dhole): Dhole — wildlife guide.

## Whistling dogs
Dhole vocalisations are unlike any other canid. They whistle — sharp, high-pitched calls used to coordinate hunts and maintain contact in dense forest where visual line-of-sight is short. They also scream, cluck and yap, but they do not bark in the way domestic dogs or wolves do. The whistle is the signature sound, and it carries well through forest vegetation.

The whistle calls may be less likely to alert prey than lower-frequency barks, and they allow pack members to coordinate during hunts without the prey hearing a clear direction. Pack cohesion during hunts depends on these calls: a dhole that loses contact with its pack in thick forest whistles to re-establish position. Field researchers often locate packs by sound before they see them.

Dhole pups are born in dens — usually excavated in stream banks or hollow logs — and the pack cooperates in rearing them. Subordinate adults regurgitate food for pups and babysit while the breeding pair hunts. This cooperative breeding, combined with cooperative hunting, makes dhole social structure closer to African wild dogs than to wolves, despite their separate evolutionary history and distinct vocal repertoire.

## Why they are Endangered
The dhole's decline follows the same pattern as many Asian forest predators: habitat loss as forest is cleared for agriculture, plantations and infrastructure; prey depletion as deer and pig populations are hunted out by people; disease transmission from domestic and feral dogs, particularly canine distemper and rabies; and direct persecution when dholes kill livestock.

In India, dholes persist in several protected areas — including the Western Ghats, central Indian tiger reserves and the northeastern states — but populations are fragmented and declining outside reserves. In Southeast Asia, the species has disappeared from many areas where forest has been converted to palm oil or rubber plantation. In China, remaining populations are small and isolated in the far south and southwest. Laos and Cambodia have lost dhole populations from large areas of former range as forest cover thins.

The IUCN Endangered listing reflects suspected global declines, with perhaps 2,000 or fewer mature individuals remaining. Exact numbers are uncertain because dholes are difficult to survey — they occur at low density, avoid camera traps in some habitats, and receive far less research attention than tigers in the same reserves. What is clear is the direction of travel: dhole range is contracting, and the species has already been extirpated from countries where it was present within living memory.

## Conservation in the shadow of tigers
Dholes share habitat with tigers, and tiger conservation often benefits dholes indirectly — protected areas, prey management and anti-poaching patrols help both species. But dhole-specific conservation is rare. They are not a flagship species, not a tourist draw, and not well studied compared with the felids sharing their forests.

What would help is straightforward: maintaining forest connectivity between reserves, protecting prey populations from overhunting, vaccinating or controlling domestic dog populations around reserve boundaries to reduce disease transmission, and compensating livestock losses to reduce retaliatory killing. These are the same interventions that support tigers — the challenge is ensuring they are applied broadly enough to cover the dhole's wider, more fragmented range.

In India, the dhole is listed as a Schedule II species under the Wildlife Protection Act, giving it legal protection, but enforcement outside protected areas is weak. In Southeast Asia, where forest conversion is fastest, legal protection exists on paper but habitat loss outpaces any protection mechanism. The dhole's future depends on forest remaining forest — a condition that is not being met across much of its range, and one that will not improve without the dhole receiving attention in its own right rather than as an incidental beneficiary of tiger programmes.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/dhole): Dhole — wildlife guide.

## WARN work
WARN publishes free, sourced species education for predators that share habitat with famous species but receive none of the attention. The dhole is Endangered in the same forests where tigers are celebrated — a gap in public understanding that free accurate information can help close.

## Donation hook
If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/dhole): Dhole — wildlife guide.

## What is a dhole?
A wild canid of South and Southeast Asian forests, in its own genus Cuon. It hunts deer and wild pig in cooperative packs and is listed Endangered by the IUCN. It is not a wolf, fox or jackal.

## Why do dholes whistle?
Whistling is their primary vocalisation for coordinating hunts and maintaining pack contact in dense forest. They also scream, cluck and yap, but do not bark like wolves or domestic dogs.

## Are dholes endangered?
Yes. The IUCN lists the dhole as Endangered, with populations declining across most of the range. Habitat loss, prey depletion, disease from domestic dogs and persecution are the main threats.

## How do dholes hunt?
In packs of five to twelve, using stamina and coordination to run down deer and wild pig. They take turns maintaining pursuit until prey tires — an endurance strategy rather than a single overpowering attack.

## Where do dholes live?
In forests across South and Southeast Asia — from India through Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and into parts of China. They require forest with sufficient prey and have disappeared from many converted landscapes.

## What do dholes eat?
Dholes hunt deer, wild pig, hares and occasionally livestock in coordinated packs of five to twelve. They are Endangered wild canids of South and Southeast Asian forests, using stamina and coordination rather than strength to run down prey in dense tropical and temperate woodland.

## Are dholes dangerous?
Dholes rarely threaten people and typically avoid human contact. They are Endangered wild canids weighing 12–20 kg that hunt in packs of five to twelve, communicating with whistles rather than barks. Habitat loss, prey depletion, disease from domestic dogs and persecution are the documented threats, not aggression toward humans.

## How big is a dhole?
Dholes weigh 12–20 kg — roughly the size of a border collie but built for forest terrain. They occupy their own genus, Cuon, across South and Southeast Asia, hunting deer and wild pig in packs of five to twelve adults using stamina rather than a crushing bite.

## How long do dhole / asiatic wild dogs live?
A precise wild lifespan for dhole / asiatic wild dogs is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. The dhole (Cuon alpinus) is an Endangered wild canid of South and Southeast Asian forests that hunts deer and wild pig in coordinated packs, communicates with whistles rather than barks, and is declining across most of its range. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.