Seasonal diet of dholes (Cuon alpinus) in northwestern Bhutan

Abstract

a b s t r a c tWe determined the seasonal diet of dholes (Cuon alpinus) in northwestern Bhutan in 2009. Results showed that large (>75 kg) ungulate species, primarily sambar (Cervus unicolor), were main part of the diet in both the wet and dry seasons. In contrast, small (20-30 kg) ungulate species comprised only 10% of the biomass consumed in both seasons. Cattle were consumed only during the wet season, probably because herding practices reduced their availability in the dry season. Although seasonal consumption of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) was relatively low (2-8% of biomass consumed), dholes consumed twice as many individual wild pigs than individual cattle. Because wild pigs caused severe damage to cropfields in Bhutan, we conclude dholes may be more helpful than harmful to local farmers, especially if farmers reduce the livestock available to dholes by changing their herding practices.

Assessing livestock herding practices of agro-pastoralists in western Bhutan: Livestock vulnerability to predation and implications for livestock management policy

“…In winter and early spring when farmers were free from farm work, livestock were less vulnerable because farmers tended them more intensively and they were kept nearer to cleared farmlands and sheds (Thinley et al 2011). Such a seasonal pattern of livestock loss was also noted by Sangay and Vernes (2008) while analysing livestock depredation cases reported from all over Bhutan from 2003 to 2005.…”

“…We do not recommend culling of dhole populations, because it is an 'endangered' species. In order to avoid massive dhole extirpation as in the 1970s and 1980s (Thinley et al 2011), we suggest livestock officers and wildlife conservationists to equally prioritize compensating or insuring against losses to dholes as equally as being done for tigers and snow leopards.…”

<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>

“…In order to investigate Dhole distribution, we adopted the trail transect method used by Thinley et al (2011), because Dholes are known to use regular trails. We surveyed all major human and animal paths for 60 days from 1 February to 1 April 2016 and looked for Dhole presence, namely, sightings, tracts or foot prints, and scats or faeces.…”

“…Like its other sympatric carnivores in the Indian subcontinent such as the tiger Panthera tigris and the common leopard Panthera pardus (Karanth & Sunquist 1995) (Wangchuk 2004;Wang & Macdonald 2009;Thinley et al 2011).…”

“…This information gap is largely attributed to its persistent predation on domestic livestock. For instance, it was once almost extirpated from Bhutan in the 1980s in a massive poisoning campaign (Wangchuk 2004;Thinley et al 2011) because of its excessive predation on domestic livestock. In a recent questionnaire survey on livestock loss in western Bhutan Katel et al (2015) observed that Dholes killed more livestock compared to common leopards and tigers.…”