Saving Planet Earth
Graham Norton: Saving Wolves
Passionate dog-lover Graham Norton travels to Ethiopia to investigate a project which is helping man's best friend live alongside their rare wild cousin – the Ethiopian wolf.
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Rarer than the giant panda, the Ethiopian wolf faces a constant threat of disease from local domestic dogs. In the past epidemics have killed off three quarters of the population in this area.
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Graham travels to the roof of Africa to meet Argentine biologist Claudio Sillero, who has devoted decades of his life to keeping the wolf population going, with a project supported by the wildlife charity Born Free Foundation.
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His Ethiopian team work with local people, vaccinating their dogs in a win-win situation for the people and the wolves.
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"It seems to me they're dealing with this in the only way they can – in that there are no boundaries here, no fences, no walls," says Graham.
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"Everyone's sharing the same habitat – the people, the dogs, the wolves – and they've got to get on or they're all doomed. And tackling the rabies problem – it's the biggest problem they face, so they've got to. The upshot of that is that it really helps the people as well."
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Claudio guides Graham to a very close encounter with a wolf pack, as it sets out on patrol across the mountain plateau. "I've just loved it up here. It's been absolutely amazing," says Graham. "It's not just about the wolves, it is about this place. And if you save the wolves, you save the place.
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"We spent 11 hours in a car and if anyone had told me that would have been one of the most satisfying days I've ever spent, being parked in a car outside a rock for 11 hours, I wouldn't have believed them."
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Living on the country's high plateaux, the Ethiopian wolf is the world's rarest wild dog. The wolves live in family packs, with juvenile babysitters that look after the pups in an incredibly complex social structure. Thanks to Claudio's expert knowledge, Graham is able to witness one of the rarest wildlife events as cubs emerged from their den.
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"I feel very emotional up here," Graham says. "It's probably just the altitude! But it's just very emotional. And the thought that this could be lost is just heart-breaking."
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The project is the largest employer in the town of Dinsho. With the free-running local dogs, the genetic similarity to the wolf means that any disease can cross to the wolves and wipe them out.
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But the loss of the wolf could also have wider environmental effects, explains Claudio. "Ethiopian wolves are the guardians of the Bale Mountains and the Bale Mountains are the source of water for a huge area of the Horn of Africa. So, if we were to lose these mountains, not only would we lose many, many species of plants and animals but we'd also be affecting human lives downstream."
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But threats from the overcrowded lowlands are imminent. "It seems to me there's one kind of simple truth here, and that is that the Bale Mountains are incredibly special and beautiful," explains Graham.
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"The wolves are so elegant and noble – perfect poster children for saving this place. There's a road coming, so there's going to be more people. That's a real challenge to explain to those people why they shouldn't farm the mountains.
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"Hopefully, the programme can convince them that if the wolves are up here that means the mountains are healthy, the water is clean and that, ultimately, Ethiopia is better off."
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A £10 donation to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wildlife Fund (charity number 1119286) could buy four rabies vaccines for the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Project.
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