Second ‘wolf’ seen in Delhi in 10 months

A second suspected Indian grey wolf was spotted in north Delhi's Palla, confirming the area's wildlife presence, with experts suggesting potential hybridization.

Ten months after a suspected Indian grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) was sighted along the Yamuna floodplains in north Delhi’s Palla, another wolf, sporting a winter coat, was reportedly seen in the same area on Saturday morning.

An environmentalist said based on the size of the wolf in the photo, it appears to be an adult wolf. (Hemant Garg)

Wildlife enthusiast Hemant Garg, who spotted the animal, said it was near the river, not too far from where the previous wolf was sighted in May last year. Wildlife experts said while the tail of the animal shows possible signs of hybridisation, the animal largely appears to be the Indian wolf.

“It stayed there for seven to eight minutes before it went away into the riverine grasses,” Garg told HT. “I was not able to follow-up on the previous sighting until February this year, but from March onwards, we did multiple rounds in the area again. Locals said they saw dog-like animals which never barked and had longer, straighter tails.”

He said he showed the photographs he had taken of the animal to wildlife experts, who also identified the animal as a wolf. HT also showed these photographs to renowned wildlife experts, including those specialising in wolves, who confirmed this.

YV Jhala, an Indian wildlife scientist and expert on Indian wolves, said sighting a wolf was good news for the Capital. “It is difficult to say if it is a pure wolf or a hybrid, until genetic testing is done, but I would say it is a wolf. The tail is curved and bushy- unlike a typical wolf, but the difference is too insignificant to not categorise it as one. The animal still has its winter coat on,” Jhala said.

Environmentalist and wildlife expert MK Ranjitsinh said based on the size seen in the photo, it appears to be an adult wolf. “The tail is the only feature that tells it apart from a wolf. Based on the photo, it is difficult to tell the gender, but this is an adult specimen.”

The Indian grey wolf (or Indian wolf) is one of the most ancient and elusive wolf lineages in the world and entered the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List of Threatened Species as “Vulnerable” last year. With only 2,877 to 3,310 mature individuals estimated to be surviving in the wild, the announcement was made on October 10, 2025, after an assessment done by Indian researchers was accepted by the IUCN.

Dr Bilal Habib from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) – also part of the assessment – looked at the photographs of the animal spotted along the Yamuna floodplains, confirming it as a wolf. “Yes, this is a wolf, but one cannot comment or confirm whether it is a hybrid, until genetic testing is done,” Habib said.

Prior to the sighting last year, there were no records of wolves being sighted in Delhi. A 2014 publication on the Delhi Ridge by forester GN Sinha had said the Indian wolf not been spotted in the Capital after the 1940s.

After the sighting last year, locals had people had doubts that the animal looked like a dog, but experts verified the photos and said that it was a wolf. “The latest sighting is a win for citizen science. It shows that citizen science plays an important role in wildlife documentation and preservation and so it must be cultivated and encouraged across the board,” Garg said.

Locals also alleged seeing at least one more wolf in the area. Gulzar, 48, a farmer, said they are growing watermelons along the floodplain near Palla, and he and his family have recorded multiple wolf-like creatures. “It is not a dog, we know that. It is bigger and looks very different. We have spotted at least two different wolves since the start of the year. On one of these days, one such wolf got fairly close to my little daughter who was walking behind me. I picked her up and went away from the area. I have also seen packs of dogs chase them,” he said.

The Delhi forest department did not respond to HT’s request for a comment on the sighting.