ISSN 1027-2992
CATnewsN° 58 | SPRING 2013
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CATnews 58 Spring 2013 02
CATnews is the newsletter of the Cat Specialist Group, Editors: Christine & Urs Breitenmoser a component of the Species Survival Commission SSC of the Co-chairs IUCN/SSC International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is pub- Cat Specialist Group lished twice a year, and is available to members and the Friends of KORA, Thunstrasse 31, 3074 Muri, the Cat Group. Switzerland Tel ++41(31) 951 90 20 For joining the Friends of the Cat Group please contact Fax ++41(31) 951 90 40 Christine Breitenmoser at [email protected]
CATnews is produced with financial assistance from Friends of Cover Photo: First photographic evidence the Cat Group. of a Pallas’s cat in Bhutan. The animal was captured in Jigme Dorji National Design: barbara surber, werk’sdesign gmbh Park on 17.11.2012 Layout: Christine Breitenmoser Photo: Jigme Dorji National Park Print: Stämpfli Publikationen AG, Bern, Switzerland
ISSN 1027-2992 © IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group
The designation of the geographical entities in this publication, and the representation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
CATnews 58 Spring 2013 short communication
and Ms. M. Shrestha for preparing the map. Also special thank goes to Snow Leopard Conserva- tion Committee of Ghunsa and Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council.
References Baral H. S. & Shah K. B. 2008. Wild Mammals of Nepal. Himalayan Nature, Kathmandu. 188 pp. Ghimirey Y. & Ghimire B. 2010. Leopard cat at high altitude in Makalu- Barun National Park Nepal. Cat News 52, 16-17. Jackson R. M., Roe J. D., Wangchuk R. & Hunter D. O. 2005. Surveying snow leopard popu- lations with emphasis on camera trapping: A handbook. California: The Snow Leopard Fig. 2. Leopard cat captured in the KCA Fig. 3. Melanistic leopard at an altitude of Conservancy. 73 pp. at an altitude of 4, 474 m on 24 April 2012. 4,300 m in the KCA on 16 May 2012. Jackson R. M., Roe J. D., Wangchuk R. & Hunter D. O. 2006. Estimating snow leopard popula- tion abundance using photography and cap- McCarthy K. P., Fuller T. K., Ming M., McCarthy T. 1 WWF Nepal, P.O.Box 7660, Baluwatar, Kath- ture-recapture techniques. Wildlife Society M., Waits L. & Jumabaev K. 2008. Assessing mandu, Nepal *
PHUNTSHO THINLEY1,2,3 distance. Upon closer look, the cat can be distinguished by small black spots on its First photographic evidence forehead, black stripes on the inner sides of its forelimbs, and black tipped tail. of a Pallas’s cat in Jigme Dorji Taxonomically, three subspecies of this cat have been identified (Ellerman & Morrison- National Park, Bhutan Scott 1966), and it is yet to be confirmed which among these subspecies the recently During a recent camera trap survey of snow leopards Panthera uncia in Jigme Dorji discovered ones in Bhutan belong to. The National Park (JDNP) in Bhutan, several photographs of a Pallas’s cat Otocolobus subspecies Otocolobus manul nigripecta manul were captured. This is the first photographic evidence of a Pallas’s cat in the (Hodgson 1842) is found in Tibet and Kash- park and the second evidence of its presence in Bhutan after the first photographic mir. By virtue of proximity to Tibet, the indi- evidence was collected in a similar study from Wangchuck Centennial Park in April viduals in Bhutan might match the taxono- 2012 (WWF 2012). These new records confirm an extension of the species’ distribu- mic features of this subspecies. tion in the Eastern Himalayas. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorized this rare cat as a Two months (October and November 2012) (Wangchuk et al. 2004). Few studies have “Near Threatened” due to negative impacts of snow leopard survey was carried out in been done on Pallas’s cat, also known as from hunting, prey-base decline and habitat the north western part of Jigme Dorji Na- the manul, although it is known to occur in degradation (Ross et al. 2008). tional Park (Fig. 1) using infrared camera the highland steppes of Central Asia (Sun- Judging from images of many other spe- traps. Out of 50 camera traps, one set up quist & Sunquist 2002). Also, little is known cies captured on the same cameras in the at an elevation of 4,122 m (27°44’28”N/ of its occurrence in the Himalayas. same location, this small felid seems to 89°30’27”E) captured 17 photographs of About the size of a domestic cat and coa- share habitat with snow leopard (Fig. 3) Pallas’s cat (see cover photo of this issue of ted with dense pale yellowish fur, a Pallas’s and red fox Vulpes vulpes. More studies Cat news, Fig. 2). Until now, the presence of cat could well camouflage with the alpine need to be done on its diet selection, ha- Pallas’s cat in JDNP has only been guessed, meadows and could easily be mistaken bitat selection, and distribution pattern in due to the presence of suitable habitats for a marmot Marmota himalayana from a Bhutan. Such a discovery in addition to the
CATnews 58 Spring 2013 Pallas‘s cat in Bhutan
sighting of a spotted linsang Prionodon par- dicolor two years ago (Gyeltshen 2012) in the same park, is a strong testimony of the park’s richness in biodiversity of wild cats and thus emphasizes its conservation sig- nificance.
Acknowledgement I would like to sincerely thank the staff of Lingzhi Park Range (Leki, Dagay, Jangchuk Dorji, Sonam Dorji, Thinley Wangchuk, Kinley Dorji, Kinley Sithup, Gyeltshen, Pelba, and Sangayla) who painstakingly stationed and monitored the camera traps in the difficult terrains and harsh climatic conditions of the study area. I thank also the Department of Forests and Park Services for permitting the study and to the World Wildlife Fund, Bhutan and Finland Programs, for funding Fig. 1. Location of Jigme Dorji National Park JDNP in Bhutan and the location the survey. where Pallas’s cat was captured. WCP = Wangchuck Centennial Park. References Ellerman J. R. & Morrison-Scott T. C. S. 1966. Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946. 2nd ed. British Museum of Na- tural History, London. 308pp. Gyeltshen J. 2012. A rare and new mammal species spotted at Jigme Dorji National Park. 28
1 Dy. Chief Research Officer, Renewable Natural Resources Research Center, Yusipang, Bhutan *
Fig. 3. Snow leopard captured in the same camra trap in JDNP on 14.10.12 (Photo JDNP).
CATnews 58 Spring 2013