Our work shows that, despite the persistence of persecutory actions, conservation activity has proved successful for the return of numerous wild mammals to different habitats, including the wolf. The human-wolf conflict is still described in all countries where the wolf is present. This is evidenced by the high number of damages on livestock, and the corpses of wolves found both in protected areas and in those where hunting is permitted. The diagnosis of road accidents, together with poisoning and poaching, are major causes of mortality. Although hunting records the highest percentage of kills in Spain, the demographic stability reported by the censuses suggests that this activity does not have a consistent influence on the Iberian wolf population's survival. In Italy, where wolf hunting is prohibited, wolf populations are to be increasing. In some Italian situations, wolf attacks on horses seem to cause unwanted damage to foals, but they represent a very precious source of information about the habits of carnivores. A simple management plan would be sufficient to help the coexistence between the productive parts and the ecosystem services ensured by the presence of the wolf. The presence of hybrids is a negative factor.

Canine leishmaniasis is an important vector-borne protozoan disease in dogs that is responsible for serious deterioration in their health. In the Iberian Peninsula, as in most countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, canine leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania infantum (zymodeme MON-1), a digenetic trypanosomatid that harbors in the parasitophorous vacuoles of host macrophages, causing severe lesions that can lead to death if the animals do not receive adequate treatment. Canine leishmaniasis is highly prevalent in Spain, especially in the Mediterranean coastal regions (Levante, Andalusia and the Balearic Islands), where the population of domestic dogs is very high. However, the presence of this disease has been spreading to other rural and sparsely populated latitudes, and cases of leishmaniasis have been reported for years in wildlife in northwestern Spain. This work describes for the first time the presence of wolves that tested positive for leishmaniasis in the vicinity of the Sierra de la Culebra (Zamora province, northwestern Spain), a protected sanctuary of this canid species, using PCR amplification of L. infantum DNA from different non-invasive samples such as buccal mucosa and those from both ears and hair. In addition to live animals (21), samples from carcasses of mainly roadkill animals (18) were also included and analyzed using the same technique, obtaining a positivity rate of 18 of the 39 wolves sampled (46.1%) regardless of their origin.

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