According to the hunters, the incident occurred in the Suusamyr Valley in December 2021. Later, the black wolf was sold for a significant sum. However, one problem arose: the hunters did not share details about their hunt and refused to provide a more detailed description of the trophy, without explaining their reasons. This information soon spread across social networks. Within a few days, black wolves began to be hunted in the Sokuluk district and in the vicinity of the village of Manas, leading to several reported cases of hunting "black wolves" in December.
Ecologist Alexander Sosnovsky commented on the situation as follows:
“In nature, there are animals with melanism, meaning they have a completely black coloration. Melanism is a phenotype that is significantly darker in color compared to other individuals of the same species. This dark coloration, caused by melanin pigments, arises from hereditary changes. Although melanism is rare, it can be observed in many species of animals, including mammals, reptiles, insects, and fish. Albinism, on the other hand, represents a completely white coloration and occurs with the same frequency. How often have you seen white albino wolves in Kyrgyzstan? Melanistic wolves exist, but they are much rarer than in dogs, and only a specialist can distinguish them.”
Andrei Bushuev, a cynologist from the Chuy-Bishkek Society of Hunters and Fishermen, emphasized that there are several differences between wolves and dogs, including the structure of teeth and jaws.
“Having studied the provided photos and videos, I can confidently say that the hunters may have made a mistake and mistaken a dog for a wolf. This is quite possible, as dogs can go feral and live in the wild. To avoid such misunderstandings, hunters should consult specialists more often, such as cynologists and wildlife experts. I also want to note that during my entire time in the hunting community, I am not aware of any cases of black wolves being hunted in Kyrgyzstan,” he added.
Hunter Nikolai Radchenko, who has caught many gray predators in his career, also noted that there have been disputes in the history of hunting about whether it was a wolf or a dog.
“In the 1950s-70s in the USSR, conflicts arose between hunters and state fur buyers when hunters brought in dog pelts and tried to pass them off as wolf pelts. The reason was economic: a dog pelt cost three rubles, while a wolf pelt was worth a whole 50. Catching a wolf is significantly more difficult than shooting a dog. However, wildlife experts could easily expose such attempts at deception, as wolf fur has a two-zone coloration, while dog fur has three color zones,” he added.
