Habitat and feeding ecology of alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

The alpine musk deer, Moschus chrysogaster, a small member of family Moschidae, is a primitive deer threatened due to poaching and habitat loss, and therefore classified as Endangered by IUCN and also listed in Appendix I of CITES. Although the species is legally protected in India under Wildlife Protection Act 1972, conservation of the species requires better understanding of its distribution and resource-use pattern; therefore, a study on its feeding and habitat ecology was conducted from February 2011 to February 2014, at Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is one of the known remaining habitats for musk deer in India. Four locations, namely, Shokhark I, Shokhark II, Tungnath and Chandrashila, were intensively monitored and further categorised on the basis of habitats and altitudinal gradient. The habitat overlap between musk deer and all other ungulate species of the area was calculated through Pianka’s overlap index. The results indicated a large overlap between musk deer and Himalayan tahr. Species dietary spectra were studied using microhistological techniques for faecal pellet-group analysis coupled with Bonferroni approach. The dicotyledon to monocotyledon ratios were found to be 73.62–26.38% and 52.016– 47.984% in the pre- and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. The study showed that the musk deer is predominantly a browser. The most preferred plant species of the animals were found to be Gaultheria trichophylla, Ophiopogon intermedius., Cyperus sp. and Sibbaldia cuneata. During the field survey, opportunistic sightings of the species were also recorded. The species was found to be restricted to areas where the density of preferred vegetation was high. Therefore, it is recommended to provide strict protection to the areas such as Shokhark.

Ecological correlates of Himalayan musk deer Moschus leucogaster

“…Livestock use in the study area is intermittent and musk deer and cattle have different dietary consumption preferences (Khadka, Singh, Magar, & James, 2017;Syed & Ilyas, 2016). However, the impact of livestock grazing cannot be ignored because overgrazing leads to forest fragmentation and depletion of palatable browse species (Bakker, 1998;Mayer, Kaufmann, Vorhauser, & Erschbamer, 2009).…”

Habitat Preferences and Conservation Status of Himalayan Musk Deer (Moschus Chrysogaster) in Langtang National Park, Nepal

“…The population trend of Musk Deer is in decreasing due to anthropogenic pressure and poaching. The high dependency of local people on natural forest also leads to decline the species [6]. Additionally, the species is highly hunted for its musk pod which has high value and used in perfume industries, as well as in traditional Chinese Medicine [5,7,8].…”

Diet Overlap Between Livestock and Wild Herbivores in the Greater Himalaya

“…The reliance of musk deer on browse in autumn was expected, but our results reveal an unexpected decrease in herbs and increase in trees in spring diet of musk deer (Green 1987;Syed and Ilyas 2016). In spring, the musk deer diet niche was narrower than in autumn, suggesting a plentiful supply of new growth of preferred forage.…”

“…Due to poaching, shrinkage in distribution, and habitat destruction and degradation, the population is confirmed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List Data (IUCN 2017) and is listed in Appendices I and II of CITES (CITES 2017). Musk deer are primarily browsers; much of their diet comprises shrubs and forbs such as Gaultheria, Ophiopogon, Cyperus, Sibbaldia, and Quercus, but they can also consume lichens and mosses (Green 1987;Syed and Ilyas 2016).…”