In the remote heights of Ladakh, Himalayan wolves are breeding with feral dogs to create hybrids known as khipshang. These animals are raising alarms among conservationists and locals due to their boldness and potential to outcompete native species. The development comes amid rapid environmental changes in the region.
Himalayan wolves, adapted to high altitudes and low oxygen, face new pressures from an estimated 25,000 feral dogs in Ladakh compared to just a few hundred wolves. In the past decade, interbreeding has produced hybrids that are bigger than dogs but smaller than wolves, with tawny coats and a habit of leading dog packs. Tsewang Namgail of the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust described them as a cross that people have noticed only in the last five to 10 years.
