<<

Detection of Large Indian zibetha in camera-trap surveys in and around in the Region of North

and Ashish BISTA, Pranav CHANCHANI, Rekha WARRIER, Rohini MANN, Mudit GUPTA Abstract Joseph VATTAKAVAN

Large Indian Civet Viverra zibetha is a widely distributed small carnivore, but its present distribution in India is poorly docu

- mented. In camera-trapping surveys in Dudhwa National Park and adjoining areas, it was recorded in 21 of 538 trap-sites oper- ated between December 2010 and June 2012. Camera-traps were deployed in forests from the sub-Himalayan Nandhour River region to Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in the Terai Arc Landscape of India. Most records came from Dudhwa National Park. willThe clarifywesternmost the distribution, location where habitat Large preferences, Indian Civet ecological was camera-trapped attributes and is population the Nandhour status region. of small Possible carnivores causes such for lowas Large cap- Indianture rates Civet. and non-detection of the in some patches are presented. Data of this nature collected over a longer time-span

Keywords

: deciduousmRrj Hkkjr dsforest, rjkbZ {ks= extension esa nq/kok us'kuy of known ikdZ rFkk range, lehiorhZ fragmentation, {ks=ksa esa dSejk VªSi los{k.kmonitoring, ds nkSjku TeraicMk Hkkjrh; Arc Landscapeeq‘dfcyko ¼foosjk ftosFkk½ dh mifLFkfr ntZ gksuk

lkjka‘k

cMk Hkkjrh; eq‘dfcyko ¼foosjk ftosFkk½ foLr`r Hkw Hkkx esa ik;k tkus okyk NksVk ekalkgkjh tho gS] ijUrq Hkkjr esa bldh orZeku fLFkfr vPNh rjg fyfic) ugha dh x;h gSA nq/kok jk"Vªh; m|ku rFkk lehiorhZ {ks=ksa esa dSejk VªSi dk;Z ds nkSjku] fnlEcj 2010 ls twu 2012 rd ;g tho 538 dSejk VªSi LFkyksa esa ls 21 txg ntZ fd;k x;kA ;s dSejk VªSi Hkkjr ds rjkbZ vkdZ Hkw {ks= esa mi fgeky;u ua/kkSj unh {ks= ls drfuZ;k?kkV oU; tho fogkj rd yxk;s x;s FksA bl tho dh lokZf/kd mifLFkr nq/kok jk"Vªh; m|ku esa ntZ dh x;hA dSejk VªSi ds vkadM+s crkrs gSa fd rjkbZ vkdZ Hkw {ks= esa ua/kkSj {ks= cMk Hkkjrh; eq‘dfcyko dh if'pe fn'kk esa mifLFkr gsrq vafre {ks= gSA bl iztkfr ds dqN {ks=ksa esa de ik;s tkus rFkk u ntZ gksus ds laHkkfor dkj.k izLrqr fd;s tk jgs gSaA yEcs le; rd bl izdkj ds vkadM+s tek djus ij NksVs ekalkgkjh thoksa tSls cMk Hkkjrh; eq‘dfcyko dh mifLFkr] vuqdwy vkokl rFkk ikfjfLFkfrdh; t:jrksa tSls dkjd Li"V gks ldsaxsA

eq[; 'kCn& i.kZikrh ou] taxy dk cVuk] vuqJo.k] rjkbZ vkdZ Hkw {ks=

Introduction et al Viverra zibetha is a small carnivore of the documentedareas in . Indian A report range, of contains a Large photographs Indian Civet showing in Himachal it to family with legislative protection under Schedule Pradesh (Archana . 2001), disjunct and well west of the in litt. 2012). To date, the distribu represents species listed for prohibition of hunting under the tionbe based of Large on theIndian erroneous Civet in identificationIndia remains ofpoorly a dead documented, palm civet II of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) of India; Schedule II and(; little is known K. ofKakati its ecology from anywhere in its range. - Threatened on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Actworth (MoEF et al. 1972). Large Indian Civet is categorised as Near Study sites and methods et al. (Duck- 2008). It is widely distributed in (e.g. Corbet & Hill 1992,et Gray al. 2010, Jennings & Veron 2011) and, apparently more sporadically, in Nepal and India alongCamera-traps Indian parts were of deployed the Terai in Arc four Landscape, forest patches namely: within Kater the (e.g. Prater 1948). Joshi (1995) indicated its occurrence area of 29°12'–28°08'N, 79°35'–81°19'E (WGS 1984 datum) in (= NP), Nepal, and it has been cam- 400 km², - era-trapped recently in Parsa Wildife Reserve,in litt. 2012). Bardia Within NP and In niaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (with camera-trapped area of about Shukhlaphanta Wildlife Reserve there (N. Subedi, National 28°23'–28°18'N, 81°02'–81°19'E); Dudhwa National perTrust for Nature and northeast Conservation, India, Nepal, and was a common carnivore- Park (about 600 km², 28°37'–28°20'N, 80°32'–80°55'E); con- dia, Prater (1948) stated that the species occurs in , up- nected forest patches of Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary (about 200 km², 28°26'–28°13'N, 80°19'–80°29'E) and Pilibhit Forest of Sikkim and . Although Corbet & Hill (1992), Prater Division (about 600 km², 28°49'–28°19'N, 79°54'–80°20'E); the(1948) Indian and Terai Lydekker states of(1907) Uttar showedPradesh theand speciesUttarakhand to occur which in and Nandhour River region (about 400 km², 29°13'–29°02'N, the Nepal Terai, these authors do not indicate its presence in 79°35'–80°04'E). Nandhour includes parts of Haldwani, Cham- pawat and Terai–East Forest Divisions. Low-lying Terai habitats are near, and in some cases connected with, Civet-occupied in the study area (such as sites within Dudhwa Reserve)

Small Carnivore Conservation,

Vol. 47: 54–57, December 2012 54 Large Indian Civet in Indian Terai

following Kumar et al. tigris are represented by the following vegetation types (defined Camera-traps surveys, directed primarily towards 2003, Midha 2008): Sal - er, comprised a, paircovered of cameras over 2,000 facing km² each of forestother patchesand secured (Fig dominated forests (Dense Sal, Moderately Sal,Terminalia Mixed Sal alata and 1). Each camera station, placed about 2 km apart from any oth- AcaciaOpen Salcatechu-Dalbergia forests), other sissoo forests forest, (Mixed Aegle Deciduous, Tropical Semi-evergreen, Tropical Seasonal Swamps, - to trees or poles along forest roads or trails, at 45 cm above -dominated forest) the ground. Cameras were functional at each site for 15–40 hourand and Ladhiya (Upland river valleys,and Lowland stands Grasslands). of montane Invegetation addition days during which they were operative throughout the 24-hr includingto these forest pine Pinustypes, and in the oak mountainous Quercus are found.regions of the Nand- cycle. No baits or lures were used. They were monitored by field team at intervals of 2–5 days. These surveys, carried out primarily in the winter and spring seasons, are the most ex- andhaustive prominent of their river kind valleys in our studythan inarea the so interior far. In the mountainous Nandhour region, camera-trap survey effort was higher in the lowlands here. Table 1 summarises the total effort at each survey site, andzone; the we number surveyed of independent about 40% captures, of high-quality capture Tiger rate habitatand lo cations of capture of Large Indian Civet at each. ‘Independent captures’ are photographs that were captured at least 30 min- et al. - requiredutes from per the independent previous one capture of the same of Large species Indian (see Civet. O’Brien 2003). The ‘capture rate’ is the total number of trap-nights Results

We obtained 38 independent captures of Large Indian Civet with effort of over 10,000 trap-nights, recorded in 21 of the 538 camera stations located in Terai–Bhabar region of over the period December 2010–July 2012 (Table 1, Fig. 1). The spatial frequency of occurrence (number of sites with atcapture/total night. number of sites) of the species in our study area is 0.039. All photographs showed single . All were taken

Of the sites surveyed, Dudhwa National Park recorded by far the highest rate of Large Indian Civet captures (providing life95% Sanctuary. of all captures; Survey Figs effort 2–3), in whereas Katerniaghat only a was single similar capture to Dudhwa.each was We obtained obtained at no Nandhour pictures andof Large at Katerniaghat Indian Civet Wildfrom-

Fig. 1. The survey area in the Terai–Bhabar region, India, 2010–2012, showing camera-trap sites with Large Indian Civet Viverra zibetha captures. camera-traps in Pilibhit Forest Division and Kishanpur Wild- life Sanctuary, which together account for about 800 km² of the total study area (40% of the overall area, and 40% of total Table 1. Summary of Large Indian Civet Viverra zibetha camera-trap records at different sites in the Terai–Bhabar region, India, 2010–2012. Site N° trap stations N° independent Capture rate2 Capture locations ­operated captures1 (outermost) (n° trap-nights) Pilibhit Forest Division 157 (>2,400) - - - Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary 63 (2,648) - - - Nandhour (Haldwani, Champawat and 74 (1,473) 1 1,473 29°09'54"N, 79°53'24"E Terai – East Forest Divisions) Dudhwa National Park 159 (2,626) 36 72.9 28°21'48"N, 80°34'04"E (N); 28°21'48"N, 80°47'38"E (S); 28°25'38"N, 80°54'36"E (E); 28°35'20"N, 80°34'36"E (W) Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary 85 (>2,100) 1 >2,100 28°19'34"N, 81°9'22"E 1See text 2Trap-nights per capture of Large Indian Civet

Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 47, December 2012

55 Bista et al.

tat or patch connectivity, in combination with factors such as, perhaps, forest type, understorey characteristics, and

persistence of this species in remnant habitat patches in the Indianthe types Terai. and levels of human activities, may influence the We believe that this species was previously unrecorded in this region because it appears to occur locally and at low

duce its contact with humans. Reasons underlying the spe densities. Its nocturnal, forest-dwelling characteristics re- - vant.cies’s sporadic distribution (and apparent variation in abun- dance) are hard to pin-point, but several factors may be rele- currence of Large Indian Civet. Within Dudhwa, Large Indian Forest type may be an important determinant for the oc- Fig. 2. Large Indian Civet Viverra zibetha, Dudhwa National Park, India, Ter- 29 February 2012. manaliaCivet captures tomentosa were, predominantlySyzigium cumini in, mixedCareya forest arborea patches, Lager of- stroemiavarious species parviflora composition and Ficus, (comprisedin association of withtrees Shorea such as robus - ta). The understorey in such forests is dominated by Flemen- gia, regenerating Mallotus phillippensis and a variety of grasses and sedges. Relatively fewer Large Indian Civet captures were

tracts. Although Kishanpur, Pilibhit and Katerniaghat, the other recorded in Sal-dominated forests and extensive tall-

sites in this study that are classified as Terai habitat, have simi- graphedlar forests, most vegetation frequently, maps are developed situated primarily by Midha in (2008) the eastern indi- cate that mixed forests, where Large Indian Civet were photo-

butareas lacks of Dudhwa the marsh NP. landsThe Nandhour and grassland region tracts is represented found in the by othertracts sites.of Sal, mixed montane forests and riparian vegetation, Additionally anthropogenic pressure, including forest

Fig. 3. Large Indian Civet Viverra zibetha, Dudhwa National Park, India, management (clearing of understorey and burning) might 24 February 2012. withalso influence humans smallcollecting carnivore wood presence. and grass, In general,harvesting Nandhour, timber andKaterniaghat grazing by and cattle, Pilibhit than experience do Kishanpur higher Wildlife such pressures,Sanctuary istence of Large Indian Civet in this forest patch, but these data camera-trapclearly suggest stations). that this We species, do not if conclusively present there, rule is outscarce. the ex- ment.and Dudhwa NP. Pilibhit Forest Division is a site with intensive In addition to Large Indian Civet, Common Palm Civet commercial tree-felling operations by the state Forest Depart- hermaphroditus, Viverricula of connectivity between these various Indian sites and from indica, Paguma larvata, Finally, it seems reasonable to speculate that the loss rubiginosus, Jungle small carnivores, which might not disperse effectively across chaus Himalayan (=Prionailurus Masked) Palmviverrinus Civet, Cat Pri- largeproximate patches Nepal of agriculture, forests might or alsocross affect roads the and distribution canals in the of Rusty-spottedonailurus bengalensis Cat et al. 2011). This may , work in combination with the other factors discussed here. and unidentified matrix between forest patches (Mathur Discussionwere camera-trapped in the study area. also maintain a database for species such as Large Indian Civ et,We andrecommend monitor thatthe occurrencelong-term Tiger of these monitoring species programmes in the land scape over time. - - This proof of Large Indian Civet in and around Dudhwa Na- Acknowledgements tional Park, India, represents a small westwardet al. extension of ciesknown was range either for unrecorded the species, or from undocumented its occurrence in inprevious proxi- mate areas in Nepal (Prater 1948, Joshi 1995).et al.The 2011, spe- The Uttar Pradesh and State Forest Departments are Mathur et al. 2011, Verma 2011). The marked difference in andthanked the Wildlifefor extending Institute permissions of India, Dehradun, for our studies for administrative and for their kind and numbersurveys of thiscaptures part betweenof India (e.g. Dudhwa De 2001, and surrounding Jhala sites cooperation. We thank WWF’s Delhi and Terai Arc Landscape teams suggests a genuine pattern in Large Indian Civet status. Habi logistical support. These camera-trap surveys were funded by WWF- - India, US Fish and Wildlife Service (Tiger and Rhinoceros Fund), and

Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 47, December 2012

56 Large Indian Civet in Indian Terai

tribution and pressure on spacing behavior in palm WWF’s Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fund awarded to Pranav Joshi,civets. A. R., JournalSmith, J. of L. Mammalogy D. & Cuthbert, F. J. 1995. Influence of food dis- vidingChanchani. valuable We thank information our field and assistants their personal for their communication. help with camera- We aretrapping. grateful We to also A. J. thankT. Johnsingh Kashmira and Kakati Angelika and Appel Naresh for Subeditheir construc for pro- wah, W. 2002. Management of 76:forests 1205–1212. in India for biological diver- tive comments on the manuscript. Kumar,sity H., and Mathur, forests P. productivity: K., Lehmkuhl, a new J. F., perspective Khati, D. V. –S., Volume De, R. VI:& Long Terai- - Conservation Area (TCA) References The wild . WII-USDA of India, Forest Burma, Service Malaya Collaborative and Ti- Viverra zibetha Zoos’ betProject. Rowland Report, Ward, Wildlife London, Institute U.K. of India, Dehra Dun, India. Archana,Print Sharma, Journal D. N. & Sharma, R. 2001. External morphology of a Lydekker, R. 1907. male Large Indian Civet ( The of Linnaeus, the Indomalayan 1758). Re- De, R. 2011. indicator species for protected areas and gion: a systematic 16: 532–534. review Mathur, P. K., Kumar, H., Lehmkhul, J. F., Tripathi, A., Sawarkar, V. D. & Corbet, G. B. & Hill. J. E. 1992. India. Biodiversity and Conservation 20: 1–17. De, R. 2001. Management plan. Natural of the DudhwaHistory MuseumTiger Reserve Publications (2000– managed forestsLand-use, in a forestlandscape fragmentation conservation and areariver ofdynamics Northern in 2001and Oxford to 2009–2010) University. Wildlife Press, Oxford,Preservation U.K. Organization and Ut Dudhwa landscape and their conservation implications. Saurash Midha, N. 2008. - The Wildlife Pro- tar PradeshViverra Forest zibetha Department, Lucknow,IUCN India. Red List of Threat- tectiontra University Act, 1972 (Ph.D. thesis), Gujarat, India. Duckworth,ened Species J. W., Wozencraft, C., Wang Y.-x., Kanchanasaka, B. & Long, [MoEF] Ministry of Environment and Forests 1972. B.Downloaded 2008. on 10 October. In: 2012.IUCN 2012. . . prey: Sumatran Downloaded Tiger and onprey 19 populations October 2012. in a tropical Civet Viverra megaspila in eastern . Small Carnivore O’Brien,forest T. G., landscape. Kinnaird, M. F. & ConservationWibisono, H. T. 2003. Crouching Tigers, Gray,Conservation T. N. E., Pin C. & Pin C. 2010. Status and ecology of Large-spotted The book of Indian animals tory Society, Bombay, India. 6: 131–139. 43: 12–15. Prater,Verma, S.A. H. 2011. 1948. Proposal for Nandhaur Wildlife. Bombay Sanctuary Natural. Uttara His- Jennings,Journal A. P.of &Mammalogy Veron, G. 2011. Predicted distributions and ecologi- cal niches of 8 civet and species in SoutheastStatus of Asia. Ti- - gers, co-predators and prey 92: 316–327.in India, 2010 khandWorld Forest Wide Department, Fund, India, [no town 172 given], B, Lodhi India. Estate, Jhala, Y. V., Qureshi, Q., Gopal, R. & Sinha, P. R. (eds) 2011. New Delhi - 110003, India. Institute of India, Dehradun, India. . National Tiger Conser- Email: [email protected] vation Authority, Government of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife

Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 47, December 2012

57