Ethiopian wolves are the rarest canid in the world, facing threats from domestic dog disease, habitat loss, and persecution that compromise individual and population welfare.
Ethiopian wolves dying from rabies experience a progressive neurological illness causing aggression, disorientation, and suffering before death. Entire packs can be decimated by a single outbreak, causing social disruption and welfare harm across the surviving population. Vaccination campaigns prevent individual wolves from experiencing rabies deaths. Population genetic management to prevent hybridisation protects the species but requires management interventions that carry individual welfare costs.