Precarious status of the Endangered dholeCuon alpinusin the high elevation Eastern Himalayan habitats of Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, Sikkim, India

Abstract

During 2008-2010 we investigated the ecology of the Endangered dhole or wild dog Cuon alpinus in Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in the Eastern Himalaya in Sikkim, India. We conducted camera trapping (n 5 71 sites, 6,278 camera-days) and sign surveying along trails (n 5 24; 629.43 km of effort) to assess the relative abundance, distribution and activity pattern of the dhole. Morphological characteristics evident in the 61 camera-trap photographs indicate that the dhole population in the Reserve may be the rare and genetically distinct subspecies C. alpinus primaevus. We detected dholes over a wide elevation range (2,501-4,100 m) that encompassed the upper temperate, subalpine, and alpine scrub zones. Dholes were diurnal, with peak activity at 08.00-10.00. Analysis of 41 scats indicated a diet comprising mainly mountain ungulates, rodents and pikas Ochotona sp. Although the frequency of occurrence of rodents was highest (32%) in the scats, 98.7% of the total biomass consumed was of mountain ungulates. Historical reports (1888-1894) indicated that the dhole was formerly abundant in Sikkim but was hunted to meet the high demand for its alleged medicinal properties. With no information on the status of the dhole in Sikkim for over a century, our study suggests that the species is now rare in the Reserve. To aid the conservation of the dhole and its main ungulate prey species extensive research and monitoring are required in the Reserve and elsewhere in the Eastern Himalaya.

Diet and prey preferences of dholes (Cuon alpinus): dietary competition within Asia's apex predator guild

“…Habitat fragmentation and several anthropogenic factors have limited the distribution of this large carnivore to a fraction of its historical range (Cohen et al ., ; Durbin et al ., ; Bashir et al . ). The current estimates of dholes are about 2500 mature individuals, and the primary threat to these is the loss of prey base, but this is poorly known at a species level (Durbin et al ., ).…”

“…The dhole Cuon alpinus , or Asiatic wild dog, is one such large predator whose distribution is largely sympatric to that of tigers and leopards in the Asian continent (Durbin et al ., ). However, unlike the tiger or leopard, it has received much less of the ‘charismatic’ attention (Johnsingh, ; Selvan et al ., b ; Bashir et al ., ), and its role in Asia's predator guild is poorly known beyond site‐specific studies.…”

<b>Distribution and habitat use of the endangered Dhole <I>Cuon alpinus</I> (Pallas, 1811) (Mammalia: Canidae) in Jigme Dorji National Park, western Bhutan</b>

“…Comparing the result to studies in the region, Aryal et al (2015) in Nepal's Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve encountered Dhole signs mostly at elevations higher than 2,500m. In a camera trap survey of Dholes in Sikkim's Khanchendzongkha Biospehere Reserve by Bashir et al (2014), Dhole images were obtained from sub-alpine forests between the elevations of 3,100 to 3,900 and in alpine zone at 4,100m.…”

The Cuon Enigma: Genome survey and comparative genomics of the endangered Dhole (Cuon alpinus)

“…The Indian subcontinent currently harbours majority of the wild dhole populations across its range (Kamler et al 2015), where the species has experienced about 60% habitat decline (Karanth et al 2010). The dense forests of Western Ghats and central India retain most of the dhole population (Karanth et al 2009) while the Eastern Ghats landscape, northeast India and Himalayan region hold smaller populations (Karanth et al 2009, Lyngdoh et al 2014, Bashir et al 2014).…”