Diet and Prey Selection of Dholes in Evergreen and Deciduous Forests of Southeast Asia

Abstract

Endangered dholes (Cuon alpinus) are restricted to small and declining populations in Southeast Asia, and little is known about how their ecology differs within the region. We used DNA‐confirmed scats and prey surveys to determine the seasonal diet and prey selection of dholes in 2 different landscapes that dominate Southeast Asia: closed evergreen forests in hilly terrain in northern Laos, and open deciduous forests in relatively flat terrain in eastern Cambodia. On both sites, muntjac (Muntiacus spp.; 20–28 kg) was the dominant prey item and was selectively consumed over other ungulates in all seasons. Our findings differ from previous conclusions, based largely on studies from India, that the preferred prey weight range of dholes was either 40–60 kg or 130–190 kg. Other important prey were sambar (Rusa unicolor) in Laos, and wild pig (Sus scrofa) and banteng (Bos javanicus) in Cambodia. Seasonal differences in overall diet occurred in Laos, but not Cambodia, primarily because of an increase in livestock consumption. The mean number of dhole scats in group defecation sites was higher in Cambodia (5.9 ± 0.5 [SE]) than Laos (2.4 ± 0.2), suggesting pack sizes were larger in Cambodia. Our results suggest that regardless of land cover type, prey diversity, or pack size, the management of muntjac will be important for conserving dhole populations in Southeast Asia. In Laos, we recommend that local villagers remove livestock from the protected area during the hot‐dry season to reduce livestock predation by dholes. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Wildlife Society.

Spatial and temporal overlaps of top predators: Dhole, tiger and leopard, and their potential preys in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand

“…It also overlapped with Asiatic black bear in the high level (Δ =0.76). Asiatic black bear was also found in the list of dhole food (Kamler et al 2020).…”

“…The species of wild animals with significant spatialtemporal overlap with dhole, tiger, and leopard, as well as dhole prey species from the study of Charaspet et al (2020); Khoewsree et al (2020), and Kamler et al (2020); prey species of tiger from the study of Phetdee (2000), and prey species of leopard from the study of Simcharoen (2008) were studied to understand the potential wild animal prey of the large carnivores. It was found that there were 11 species of wild animals with significant spatial overlap with dhole, tiger, and leopard.…”

“…It was found that body weights of dhole prey varied in each area, for example, 40-60 kilograms (Selvan et al 2013), while Hayward et al (2014) found the weights were between 130-190 kilograms. Kamler et al (2020) categorized the size of dhole prey according to their body weights by collecting study results in different areas. It showed that the majority of dhole preys were mediumsized even-toed ungulates with weight between 40-60 kilograms, and large even-toed ungulates with weight over 100 kilograms which were mostly found in the open areas of deciduous forest in India.…”

“…Camera traps were widely used to study eating habits as they could be installed in several positions. They were used to study dhole (Kamler et al 2020), and leopard (Saisamorn et al 2019). It clarified more the sharing of important resources of the large carnivores in the ecosystem.…”

Diversity and Habitat Use of Terrestrial Mammals in the Area Proposed for Water Resource Development in Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand

“…During the wet season when the NDVI increased, Sambar and Northern Red Muntjac began to be detected more often than Gaur and Asian Elephant. Northern Red Muntjac and Sambar were the main prey of Dhole (Intaraprasit et al, 2017;Kamler et al, 2020), so Dhole should be one of the carnivores that is specific to the forest edge, especially during the wet season. One point of concern is that Dhole may potentially catch certain diseases from domestic dogs at the forest edge, since Dhole is susceptible to Canine Distemper (Sillero-Zubiri et al, 2004), a lethal disease among domestic dogs which is prevalent in the villages.…”