The main threat is habitat loss and fragmentation, as grasslands are converted to farmlands for grazing and growing crops. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists maned wolves as near threatened. It is also killed by being run over by cars, poachers, the giant kidney worm, and age. It is not a fox, wolf, coyote, dog, or jackal, but a distinct canid, though, based only on morphological similarities, it previously had been placed in the Canis and Vulpes genera. The Maned Wolf is … Estimates of maned wolf populations are very imprecise. Their home is being turned into agricultural land. Maned wolves are also endangered because of their fur and especially their mane is very popular for … Why maned wolves are threatened Much like our native wolves, the maned wolf is misunderstood and widely persecuted. The life span of maned wolves in the wild is unknown. The Maned Wolf is endangered because of habitat loss that will become farmland. Brazil lists the species as threatened and Argentina considers its maned wolf population endangered. The maned wolf is listed as 'near threatened.' Many maned wolves are killed on roads and there is a further threat from domestic dogs, which chase maned wolves and may also pass on disease. What is WWF doing? The most significant threat to the maned wolf is the drastic reduction of habitat, especially due to conversion to agricultural land. The maned wolf is not closely related to any other living canid. More accurate population surveys within all of the species’ range states are a high priority need for establishing a cogent plan for the conservation of what is believed to be a rapidly declining species. For years it was hunted and killed by farmers who believed that the wolves were killing their poultry and livestock. Maned Wolves are protected by law in parts of their range, with hunting prohibited in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, although enforcing those laws is often difficult. In human care, median life expectancy is 6.5 years with a maximum of 12 to 15 years. Their biggest threat is habitat loss. The Maned Wolf is an endangered species and its range once included Uruguay and northern Argentina, although IUCN lists it as ‘lower risk’. They are also often killed on roads and also by domestic dogs.