Response of the red fox to expansion of human habitation in the Trans-Himalayan mountains

Abstract

Habitat modification through rural and urban expansions negatively impacts most wildlife species. However, anthropogenic food sources in habitations can benefit certain species. The red fox Vulpes vulpes can exploit anthropogenic food, but human subsidies sometimes also sustain populations of its potential competitor, the free-ranging dog Canis familiaris. As human habitations expand, populations of free-ranging dog are increasing in many areas, with unknown effects on wild commensal species such as the red fox. We examined occurrence and diet of red fox along a gradient of village size in a rural mountainous landscape of the Indian Trans-Himalaya. Diet analyses suggest substantial use of anthropogenic food (livestock and garbage) by red fox. Contribution of livestock and garbage to diet of red fox declined and increased, respectively, with increasing village size. Red fox occurrence did not show a clear relationship with village size. Red fox occurrence showed weak positive relationships with density of free-ranging dog and garbage availability, respectively, while density of free-ranging dog showed strong positive relationships with village size and garbage availability, respectively. We highlight the potential conservation concern arising from the strong positive association between density of free-ranging dog and village size.

Feeding behaviour of red fox and domestic cat populations in suburban areas in the south of Paris

“…Interestingly, in agricultural land, domestic cats turned to the consumption of Microtus agrestis individuals as observed in other rural areas in Europe (Krauze-Gryz et al 2012), while red foxes shifted their diet to temporarily abundant small fruits that are rich in carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins (e.g., Prunus cerasus, P. prunus, Rubus ulmifolius) (Table 1). Red fox consumption of fruits has already been described in other studies in Europe (Contesse et al 2004) andAsia (Dell'Arte et al 2005;Ghoshal et al 2016). In addition to being an alternative source of nutrient for foxes, these fruits contained seeds that can be efficiently dispersed (Herrera 1989;Matías et al 2010), leading to the conservation of the vegetation structure of these habitats.…”

“…Moreover, the generalist trophic behaviour of red foxes and domestic cats makes them successful species in human-dominated landscapes (Bateman and Fleming 2012). Red fox diets in urban areas are mostly characterized by the presence of anthropogenic food refuse (Harris 1981;Doncaster et al 1990;Contesse et al 2004;Hegglin et al 2007;Meckstroth et al 2007), while in rural areas, they are more diversified with mammals and birds (Goldyn et al 2003), mammals, invertebrates, and fruits (Ghoshal et al 2016), or invertebrates and fruits (Dell'Arte et al 2005) as the principal food categories. Like red foxes, domestic cats living in urban areas consume not only anthropogenic refuse (Eberhard 1954;Jackson 1951) but also mammals and birds (Gordon et al 2010;Tschanz et al 2011;Thomas et al 2012).…”

An Ecological and Evolutionary Framework for Commensalism in Anthropogenic Environments

“…The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) represents a larger-bodied candidate for consideration as a commensal species [29,30]. It too shows substantial variability in home-range size between natural, rural, and urban areas [31].…”

Commensal in conflict: Livestock depredation patterns by free-ranging domestic dogs in the Upper Spiti Landscape, Himachal Pradesh, India

“…However, in an otherwise resource-poor environment, the absence of a proper garbage disposal system has provided a boost of resources for the free-ranging dog population. A consequential increase in the dog population has resulted in unwanted interactions with both people and wildlife (Hennelly et al 2015;Kumar and Paliwal 2015;Ghoshal et al 2016). Due to low resource availability in the lean tourist season, the dogs have started to prey on livestock as well as wildlife.…”