Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 20, December 1990, pp. 1-11. | Page 9

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mainly by scavenging on garbage dumps and killing lambs, sheep and goats.
These predations are often ascribed to wolves. They may kill 10, 15 or more
animals in one night, mostly by biting them in the throat. Once, three dogs killed
70 kids and goats in one night. Often, feral dogs do not feed on their victims. It is
believed that where wolves are decreasing, they may hybridize with domestic
dogs (Mendelssohn I982).
Like other information on the life history of wolves in Palestine, knowledge of
wolf pack size and composition is based on casual observations. Harrison (1968)
stated that the wolves of the arid regions of the Arabian Peninsula hunt singly or,
at most, in pairs. Tristram (1866) stated that in Palestine he never saw two wolves
together. In fact, almost all depredations on livestock during the last 45 years
have been carried out by single wolves, or a pair (Mendelssohn 1982).
Any group size, from single specimens to groups of 12, has been seen by reliable
observers, with larger groups being seen only rarely. In late summer, autumn
and winter when the grown cubs accompany their parents, family groups of up
to a pair of adults and five cubs are quite often seen (Mendelssohn I982).

The Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes). (after Roberts, 1977).
Palestinian wolves breed in winter and whelp in spring. According to the
dentition of young cubs collected in the Wadi Araba in summer, the cubs are
born there from early to mid-April. A female Canis lupus pallipes originating from
that area and kept at the Wildlife Research Centre of Tel Aviv University
(WRCTAU), came into estrus during the second half of January, and whelped
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 20 – December 1990