In a rare and historic development, an Indian grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) has been photographed within the borders of Delhi for the first time since the 1940s. The sighting occurred on May 15 in Palla, a village located along the Yamuna River at the intersection of Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The animal was spotted by Hemant Garg, a wildlife enthusiast known for documenting nocturnal wildlife across the Delhi region and the Yamuna floodplains. While traveling along a familiar bund road in the area, Garg encountered an animal that initially left him puzzled. Although a local farmer mistook it for a jackal, Garg quickly noticed that the creature’s size, strong muzzle, and distinct gait suggested otherwise.

“It was too large to be a jackal, and the muzzle was much broader. It didn’t behave like a dog either—it was cautious and elusive,” Garg said. He recounted how the animal vanished into tall grass upon noticing him, crouching in an ambush-like position before disappearing entirely.

The creature’s greyish coat, especially around the head and shoulders, and its prominent shoulder structure led Garg to believe it was something out of the ordinary. Confused but curious, he shared his photographs with naturalist friends, including members of the Delhi-based community Ninox. The images were later reviewed by experts who confirmed that the animal was indeed an Indian grey wolf.

Some initial concerns were raised about the possibility of the animal being a wolf-dog hybrid. However, experts affirmed that its appearance and behavior were far more consistent with that of a wild wolf. The animal’s stealth, size, and location away from human habitation made hybridisation less likely.

The wolf is believed to be a subadult, approximately a year old, likely in the dispersal phase—a common stage when young wolves leave their birth packs in search of new territory. The coat pattern and the size and shape of its teeth supported this identification.

Experts also noted that the wolf may have crossed the nearly dry Yamuna River from the opposite bank in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district, which consists of grasslands and woodland—ideal habitat for such wildlife. Previous sightings of leopards in the area support the possibility of wild animals using the region as a corridor.

This is the first confirmed sighting of an Indian grey wolf in Delhi in more than eight decades, marking a significant moment for urban and peri-urban wildlife conservation. Hemant Garg’s observation highlights the importance of local wildlife monitoring and suggests that wild species are still using natural corridors around the National Capital Region.