Establishing reproductive seasons for the conservation of a critically endangered mountain ungulate – The Kashmir red deer Cervus hanglu

Abstract

Ungulates living in seasonal environments adopt complex life history strategies to cope with pronounced temporal and spatial variability in environmental conditions and resource availability. Understanding the reproductive strategies of slow-breeding mountain ungulates and the associated stress, particularly in the context of human- and climate-induced changes is crucial to devising effective long-term management and conservation strategies. We investigated the patterns in reproductive seasonality and stress in hangul in Kashmir Himalaya, India. We used fecal metabolite concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and glucocorticoids to discern reproductive stages and stress levels. We showed that female hangul exhibited dispersed mating and birth patterns, while males experienced a more synchronized rutting season from October to December. Elevated progestogen levels in females from January to March suggested pregnancies, with low levels in May indicating parturition. Both females and males exhibited mating-related stress. Females also showed parturition-related stress in May, with a spike in males may be due to disturbances from migratory livestock herders’ movements and needs further investigation. The study generates a baseline for captive breeding programs in future and suggests minimizing the anthropogenic disturbances during the times of mating and parturition, both being critical for the population growth of this critically endangered species.