No abstract

A one-year study conducted to ascertain the prevalence and risk factors associated with helminth infection in Hangul Deer Cervus hanglu hanglu at Dachigam National Park revealed that 40.45% (89 of 220 samples) were infected with four helminth species including Heamonchus contortus, Trichuris ovis, Dictyocaulus viviparus, and Moneizia expansa.  The study signified that the infection was more prevalent during the dry season (summer and autumn) as compared to the wet season (winter and spring).  The overall prevalence of Heamonchus contortus was the highest (23.18%) followed by Trichuris ovis (8.18%), followed by Dictyocaulus viviparus (5.45%), and Moneizia expansa (3.63%).  The present study should be of importance in conserving the erstwhile state animal, listed as Critically Engendered in 2017 by IUCN.

Food habits of the Red Fox Vulpes vulpes were studied in Dachigam National Park of the Kashmir Himalaya from December 2017 to November 2018 by scat analysis. A total of 246 scats were collected across seasons from different habitat types of the park. The diet of the Red Fox was characterized by a wider prey spectrum with small rodents, plants, and Himalayan Grey Langur Semnopithecus ajax as the major food items. The dietary behaviour showed slight seasonal variation with more invertebrates and plant material (fruits, berries, & grasses) during spring and summer. The food niche of the canid was wider in the warm season than in the cold season. Diet analysis revealed substantial use of anthropogenic food sources (human refuse and livestock carrion) by the Red Fox. The frequency of occurrence of human refuse and livestock carrion in the scats of the canid species varied seasonally. The results show that the Red Fox is an opportunistic feeder, and capable of adapting to a variety of dietary items.