Wolves (Canis lupus) play a vital role in controlling plant-eating animal populations and maintaining thriving ecosystems. Once widespread across China's high-altitude regions, including northwestern Yunnan, wolves suffered dramatic declines throughout the 20th century due to habitat loss and persecution, primarily driven by conflicts with livestock herders. By the 1990s, they were considered locally extinct in this area.

In a study published in Integrative Conservation, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) recorded wolf activity in subalpine coniferous forests at elevations ranging from 3670 to 3870 m between 2022 and 2024, providing direct evidence of their presence in northwestern Yunnan.

The rediscovery is the result of a dedicated long-term monitoring program. Since April 2020, scientists have deployed 149 infrared camera traps across a 96 km² area of the park, strategically placed to observe medium and large mammals. Between February 2022 and April 2024, the cameras recorded four independent instances of wolves in the park's subalpine coniferous forests, at elevations ranging from 3,670 to 3,870 meters.

"We observed a large canid, over 0.8 meters in body length, with a gray-black back and displaying classic wolf behaviors – a drooping tail while walking and a slightly lifted tail while running. This is the first concrete proof in over 30 years that wolves are reclaiming this part of their historic range in Yunnan," said DENG Yun of XTBG.

This rediscovery highlights how national parks, when properly managed, can revive endangered species. However, sustaining their recovery requires long-term monitoring to track wolf populations and other at-risk wildlife, ensuring protections remain effective.