Biodiversity conservation specialist Bejan Lordkipanidze of the Georgian organization NACRES squats in front of the carcass of a GPS-collared wolf named Chkhinka ("Skinny") on November 20. Chkhinka went "missing" for a week as scientists stopped receiving location data from the canine's collar. Eventually a new radio signal helped Lordkipanidze find the dead wolf, apparently attacked by sheep dogs in the fields near the Vashlovani National Park, most likely as a result of the wolf's attack on one of numerous sheep herds in the area.
Chkhinka was trapped and GPS-collared by Lortkipanidze within the Georgia Carnivore Conservation Project, which aims at conserving the biodiversity of Georgia's semi-arid landscapes and improving the coexistence of people and wildlife.
The unfortunate discovery of Chkhinka's carcass elicited sorrowful comments from the search group, with one scientist saying, "You should have seen his eyes when he woke up [after been trapped and immobilized by a tranquilizer]. You wouldn't even think it was a wolf in front of you."
Temo Bardzimashvili is a freelance photojournalist based in Tbilisi.
Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none.