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Yes, there are wolves in the Middle East.

This gray wolf subspecies faces tough challenges, though.

…While little is definitively known about the animal, expert estimates suggest there are between 1,000 and 2,000 wolves left roaming countries like Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. Explicit legal protection only exists in Israel and Oman and the wolf has become extinct in several countries.

Some time before the 1970s, the Arabian wolf was a common sight along the sandy dunes of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). But it died out. If anyone had twigged, this news would have been greeted not with hand-wringing but jubilation…

— Source

I can’t read the note, but somebody left food out in front of the camera and waited…

🐺🐺🐺

Conservationists are aware of the problem:

Grey wolf (Canis lupus) populations are beginning to increase globally after centuries of decline. While protective legislations and policy implementations have been driving this increase, evidence suggests that these work because of a general rise in public acceptance of wolves. As people have become more knowledgeable of the important ecological roles played by wolves, protection has gained increasing community support, with human-wolf coexistence now being achieved in some areas. However, this is not universal, and some subspecies remain endangered. This is the case for the little-known Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs), which inhabits arid regions of the southern Levant and Arabian Peninsula: a geopolitically diverse region crossing multiple jurisdictions with disparate cultures, legislations, and attitudes towards wildlife and conservation…

– Source

Human-wolf coexistence pals — up to a point:

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More information:

• Wikipedia page.
• Wolf Intelligencer page.
• According to A-Z Animals, Arabian wolves rarely howl. That makes yesterday’s video (with howls) worth watching and listening to again!

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Featured image: JanEbr via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

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