Source: University of Exeter
'Swarms' of wolf-dog crossbreeds could drive Europe's wolves out of existence, according to the lead author of new research.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c0e352_2f5fb1bdd687472ca49bd8b2d36ed16b~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/c0e352_2f5fb1bdd687472ca49bd8b2d36ed16b~mv2.jpeg)
Such hybridisation, driven by human activities that destroy habitats and mean wolves encounter more and more free-roaming dogs, threatens the "genetic identity" of wolves.
An estimated 17,000 wolves live in Europe, in populations of varying sizes in countries as far apart as Spain, Greece and Finland.