The Pack Hunter (Dhole): Received Little Scientific Attention

Abstract

Abstract:The dholes received little scientifi c attention due to the lower charisma factor than other larger carnivores found in the same areas like Tiger and Snow Leopard. Introduction:The dholes or Asiatic wild dogs (Cuon alpinus) are one of the least studied social carnivores in the world. Dhole range includes central and east Asia, from China (Manchuria) in the north to India and the Malay Peninsula in the South. They are also found on the islands of Sumatra and Java but are absent in Borneo, Srilanka and Japan (Johnsingh 1985). Despite this wide distribution, dholes occur at low densities that warrant international protection. The dhole is listed as an appendix II species by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES 2010) and endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with the decreasing population trend (IUCN 2010). These dogs are distributed from tropical forests to the high mountains of Nepal's protected areas. These dogs received little conservation efforts due to lower charisma factor than other large carnivores of the same area (eg. Tiger, Snow Leopard).

FEEDING HABITS OF PACK LIVING DHOLE (Cuon alpinus) IN A DRY DECIDUOUS FOREST OF EAST JAVA, INDONESIA

“…On several occasions, dholes also preyed on domesticated animals (sheep and cattle). The occurrence of many illegal herding practices in the park (Nurvianto et al, 2015b) facilitates this, as is also reported to occur in India (Cohen et al, 1978;Johnsingh, 1992;Selvan et al, 2013b;Srivathsa et al, 2014), Bhutan (Wang & Macdonald, 2009;Thinley et al, 2011), and Nepal (Khatiwada et al, 2011). The presence of domesticated ungulates inside the park, competitors for forage, is a cause of reduced body condition, reproductive rates, and survival of native ungulate species (Sundararaj et al, 2012).…”

“…Consequences for conservation: The presence of herding activities in BNP provides alternative prey for dholes but at the same time it brings complications to the conservation situation for this wild dog. The dhole is known as an opportunistic hunter; preying on whatever animals they encounter (Khatiwada et al, 2011). On several occasions, dholes also preyed on domesticated animals (sheep and cattle).…”

“…Hence the occurrence of domesticated animals inside the BNP will have a negative impact on the dhole's conservation due to the loss of native prey and the increase in conservation costs (e.g. to compensate farmers for livestock depredation) (Sundararaj et al, 2012), and the potential for conflict resulting in the dhole's illegal culling, cases of which have been reported to occur in Java in the colonial era (Hoogerwerf, 1970), in Bhutan (Wangchuk, 2004;Johnsingh et al, 2007), in India (Fox, 1984;Babu & Venkataraman, 2001), and in Nepal (Khatiwada et al, 2011). In the long term, the presence of domestic animals will affect the behavior of native ungulates, making native ungulates less vigilant in the places where domestic ungulates occur (Sundararaj et al, 2012), and rendering them vulnerable to illegal hunting, an illegal activity which still actively occurs in BNP (Nurvianto et al, 2015b).…”

Reappearance of Dhole Cuon alpinus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Canidae) in Gujarat after 70 years

“…India lost around 60% of Dholes in the last 100 years (Karanth et al 2010) and less than 1,500 individuals are left in Indian forests (Johnsingh & Acharya 2013;Kamler et al 2015), surviving majorly in Western and Eastern Ghats, Terai, Kumaon, Himalayan region, northeastern states, and relatively larger population in central India (Srivastava & Singh 2003;Durbin et al 2004;Iyengar et al 2005;Jhala et al 2008;Karanth et al 2009;Gopi et al 2010;Johnsingh & Acharya 2013;Kamler et al 2015). Although the population disappeared from former range (Johnsingh 1985;Kamler et al 2015), the recent rediscoveries in newer areas have raised the hope in Sikkim (Bashir et al 2014), western Himalaya (Pal et al 2018), Tso Kar, Ladakh (Kamler et al 2015), and in different parts of Nepal (Khatiwada et al 2011;Thapa et al 2013;Lamichhane et al 2018;Yadav et al 2019). These discoveries indicate that the species is moving out to ensure fewer competition and less disturbance, which in future may foster resilience and expand its range.…”

Understanding Human–Canid Conflict and Coexistence: Socioeconomic Correlates Underlying Local Attitude and Support Toward the Endangered Dhole (Cuon alpinus) in Bhutan

“…Although deemed shy and elusive with infrequent interactions with humans (Srivathsa et al, 2020), this species has disappeared from ∼82% of their former range (Wolf and Ripple, 2017) through habitat loss and human persecution (Karanth et al, 2010). For example, dholes in India were deemed vermin and hunted to near extinction (Cohen, 1978), while in Nepal, dholes were poisoned and shot as pests (Khatiwada et al, 2011). Similarly, dholes in Bhutan were considered pests and subjected to mass poisoning in the 1970s and 1980s (Wang and Macdonald, 2006;Thinley et al, 2011).…”