nr ,a ln: ann I f lnl I lna \rL lU I I t(l L \ \rl at,alrrtat 1\raa
ARASHGHODDOUS . TAHER GHADIRIAN'AND HADI FAHIMIl ing)must be implemented onthis species in Status of caracalin lranin the future. Studysite Bahram'gurProtected Area, BPAis an arid area in southern lran, cover- ing4073 km'7(Fig. 1).Located in Fars Prov- Iran ince(28" 37'to 29'45'N,54'25'to 55' 16'E), it hasbeen established asa protected Thecurrent status and distribution of caracalCaracal caracal in Bahram'gurPro- areasince 1972 (Ghoddousi etal. 2008). The tectedArea (BPA), southern lran, were studied using different methods for t2 months. regionis namedafter King Bahram'gur of Directobservations were restrictedto spot-lightingat night,a methodwhich pro- theSassanid dynasty (224-652 a.c.e.) who ducedthree caracal observations. Twelve photos of a malecaracal were taken with wasvery fond of huntingonagers Fquus cameratraps. The main prey items were determinedfrom a limitednumber of scat hemionusonager in thisreserve (Darvish- samplesto be capeharc Lepuscapensis and various rodents. Attack by herddogs sefat2006). BPA is oneof the mostim- androad kills were determined to bethe main threats facing this species in BPA. portantprotected areas in lranbecause of the continuedoccurrence of endangered Theoccurrence ofcaracal in lranhas been in lndiaby lranians (Drvyabhanusinh 1995). wildlifeincluding onager, Asiatrc cheetah, reportedby Blanfordin lBBBfrom Khuz- Oncethis elusive cat was among the most andHoubara bustard Chlamydotis undulata estanprovince, Southwestern lran(Missone c0mm0ndwellers of lran'sarid regions, (Darvishsefat2006). The central and less 1959). Specimens from southern lran are re- butafter recent human population growth, disturbedpart oI theprotected area, cover- . ferredlo C.c.schnitzi while in the northern habitatdegradation, andloss of larger prey ing325.76 km2, is consideredasthe core partsbordering Turkmenistan C.c.michaelis animalsin manyareas, population trends zone.Livestock herds are excluded from this mightbe present (Etemad 1984, Nowell & thereforeneed to bemonitored in different regionfor most of theyear (Flg. 2). Also, Jackson1996). Inlran, caracals are found in nrntoetod arpes mostof thelarger wildlife species can be thearid plains and rolling hills of the central Thereis a severelack of biological data on foundin this area, which rn 2008 has been andeastern parts of thecountry, with an thisspecies in lranand apart from a few upgradedto "NationalPark" status. The additionalpopulation insouthwestern lran observationreports and preliminary stud- majorityvegetation type of BPAconsists "caracal", 1 O (Etemad1984). The name mean- ies(Farhadinia et a1.2007) noother recent of Artenisiaspp.-Tygophyllum spp. with :------i: ing"black-eared", comes from Turkish {Mis- informationabout the caracal inlran is avai- almost50% coverage. Also, the mountains sone1959). Caracals were trained to hunt lableThis first study in BPA,aimed at as- ccntainPistacta atlantica and Anygdalus inlran and India in past centuries. Interest- sessingthe caracal's status was undertaken lycioides.The altitude range of 1580-2840m ingly,the animal has no Hindi or Urdu name duringan Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus andmean annual precipitaticn andtempera- andit isknown in lndia by its Persian name, venaticusreconnaissance (Ghoddousr et al tureof 150mmand I5'C have resulted ina Siah'gush("black-eared"). Thismay be be- 2008).Long-term ecological studies using temperatearid climate (Darvishsefat 2006). causethe animal was first used for hunting moreprecise techniques (e.g radio-collar- Persianleopard Panthera pardus saxicolor,
Fig. 1. l,ocauonof BPAr¡r I¡an wrtlt recentobservahon ponts of caraca]b]ack dotsra¡d obseruationsby Etemad1985 (ted dots) ln lran. BPAmap: camera-Eap sttes (blue dots), observanon polnts of caracairpurpie dotsr ard game wardenstatrons (red slqns) wrth borders of the protectedarea (black) and the core zone(Sreen)
CATnews 50 Spnng2009 CAIACA] Bahrarn'w ProtectedArea
stripedhyena Hyaena hyaena,wolf Canis lu- pus,Asiatic cheetah, jungle cat Felis chaus, wildcatFelis sylvestris, common fox Vulpes vulpes,Blanford's fox Vulpescana, honey badgerMellivora capensis, and caracal are the well-knowncarnivores of BPA,while Asiaticmouflon }vis spp.,bezoar goal Capra aegagrus,jebeer gazelle Gazella bennettii, andonager are the main ungulates (Ghod- dousiet al. 2008).
Methods Thestudy was conducted from August 2006 to August2007 using non-invasive field methodsto detectthe presence/absence ofAsiatic cheetah and to obtainbasic eco- logicaldata on other large wildlife including caracalin BPA.Our efforts had a particular focuson the core zone although other parts of BPAwere also surveyed. As a resultof ourresearch we obtained an evaluation of thestatus of thesespecies within the core zoneand other parts of BPAand a reviewof Fig. 2. A typical landscapeof BpA (phoroA Habibi) thefactors impacting these species within ourstudy area. The main methods are de- lnterviewsurve¡ Ouestionnaires were de- in thearea. Research was focused on the scribedasbelow: signedfor completionby localvillagers, corezone which is moreheavilv orotected Canera-trapping:Three 35mm passive ca- game-wardens,herders and hunters in BPA. andoff-limits for domestic livestock. Also, meratrap un¡ts were used in the core zone 0uestionsconcerning thepresence and dis- mostcaracal observations by local people of BPA.For seven nights a deadonager was tributionofBPA wildlife were provided along andgame wardens were in rnts area. 1,r usedas bait in oneof thecamera trapping withphotos to assistin the identification of Camera-trappingproduced promising data sites.The other site was locatednear a thetarget species. People were interviewed onthe presence of caracal. A sampling ef- scent-markingtreewhich had old reports of fromdifferent parts of thepark. Carnivore fort encompassingg7 trap-nights at two felidpresence. These two sites were loca- species,human-wiidlife interactions, and sitescaptured 21 wildlife photos: 12 were tedin the vast plains of BPA, not too far from poachingwere among the most important of a malecaracal obtained during two pe- eachother (Fig. 1). Unfortunately thethird questionsasked. Areas identified as con- riodsof trapping near a scent-markingtree unitwas stolen tn the mountainous part of tainingcarnivores during the interview sur- station(Fig. 3). Other wildlife photographs BPAwhere it wasinstalled, so no photos veywere chosen for closer scrutiny. wereof stripedhyena,0nager, red fox, wereobtained from this location. Scatanalysis'. From three sites (two scent- andCape hare. Spot-lighting performed for Spot-lighting.Night spot-lighting transects markingtrees and a caracalobservation about50 hours over a distanceofmore than wereconducted using avehicle with an ave- point)many carnivore scats were collected 750km on the roads of BPAproduced three ragespeed of 20km/hon all dirtroads in andsorted by macroscopic shape and size. caracalobservations: a mother with two BPAusing 1 or2 spot-lights.These randomly Caracalscats were identified bytheir felid- cubswas observed in August and 0ctober chosentransects were located in all habitat likeshape and size and the presence of 2006at twonearby sites, and a singleca- typesof BPAalthough our efforts were con- caracalhair. We werevery conservative racalwas observed in August 2007 at the centratedwithin the core zone. in sortingthe scats and few caracal scats northernborders of thecore zone (Fig 1). Fieldobservatrons {animal sightings and wereidentrfied for analysis.Scat samples Duringthese transects two jungle cats were signs):0pportunistic observations ofwildlife werestudied for hail bone, claw and other alsoobserved in the eastern BPA which is andtheir signs were made; these provided evidenceofprey items. a mountainousarea. 0f caracalprey, nume- informationabout the presence and distribu- rousBaluchistan gerbil Gerbillus nanus and tionof differentspecies within BPA. Tracks, Results 204Cape hares were observed during night dens,scent marking sites, and any other evi- Informationonthe presence of all fivefe- transects.lt should be noted that the nre- denceof wildlifeacttvity 0r pre-sence such lidspecies found in BPAwas gathered by senceof Afghanpika )chotona rufescens asremains, were noted while on foot and differentmethods during our suruey. More hasbeen reported forthe first time from the duringvehicle transects. Surveys around wa- informationwas gathered about caracals area(Ghoddousi etal 2008)and this could terholes were a priorityduring the dry sea- thanother species of wildcats in BPA.The bean additional food source for caracals son.0bserved wildlife information {species, occurrenceofcheetah and leopard was limi- althoughno pika remains were found dur- number,time, location, etc.) was recorded tedto reportsfrom game wardens. A total ingscat analysis. During field surveys two accordingtostandard protocols. of 22 daysof fieldsurvey were conducted scent-markingareas of largecarnivores
CATnews 50 Spring2009 A GhoCdousiet al
enant& Nel1998). A high density ofground birdsaround water holes in the dry season couldbe an additional food source for ca- racals.Both observations offemale caracal andcubs were near a waterhole in the core zoneduring drY season Thereis verylrttle information about the presenceofcaracal outside of the BPA core zone.The low density of caracalout of the corezone could be attributedto lowprey density,specifically: rodents, lagomorphs, smallungulates, and ground birds plus the permanentpresence of numerous herds of livestock.No reports of livestockpredation bycaracal were received in our survey and localsblamed wildcat rather than caracal for poultrylosses at night. lt hasbeen reported, however,that caracal do predate domestlc animals(especially poultry) in otherparts of lran(Oashqaei, pers. comm , Farhadinia et al.2007). The high number of attacksby caracalsonsmall stock in South Africa are Fig.3.CaracalinltshabitatandaScent'markingtree(Photo:PlanfortheLandSoCletV).assumedtotake place when domestic ani- .BPAis malsare lambing and rodents are not active which facilitatedthe felidspecies (Farhadinia etal 2008) were recognized (Avenant& Nel 2002). Further investigation scat-analysisin the amongthe best protected areas for observa- camera-trappingand rodentsand lagomorph popu- tion0f this species inlran (Darreshouri pers inthe case of survey. fluctuationsand rate of livestockloss contact comm.,Ghoddousi et al. 2008).Caracals lation 0f the 15people who have dtrect beundertaken in plainsand hilly terrain of the area as tosmaller carnlvores must withBPA biodiversity (herders, game-war- livein andcamera-trap BPAin the future. 1.2 andhunters) that were questioned, nine provenby the observations :-- dens Caracalsappear t0 beterritorial (Avenant & identifiedcaracal from cheetah and leopard pn0t0s. andcon- Nel1998) This view was supported byour statedthat caracal isthe Caracalsare generalist feeders photos.Also, they BPAas the male caracal returned sumea widerange of prey species (Avenant researchin mostabundant wild cat of the area Some periodicallyThe Themain prey species inBPA to a scent-markingstation furtherreported that they had made cheetah & Nel2002). ro- malecaracal visited the scent-marKlng tree rnthe area 0f the werefound to be Cape hare and various andleopard observations anddawn randomly accordlng dentsincluding Libyan jird Small mammals atnight, dusk, peoplewho identified caracal, noone admlt- (Fig. tnother parts to0ur camera-trap photos 3 & 4) Cara- killeda caracalor to havtng formthe main diet of caracal tedto having mayreproduce at any tlme of theyear stated ofits range (Harrison & Bates 1991, Avenant cals heardof others doing so. They further butin Turkmeni- Mukherleeetal. 2004). Libyan (Nowell& Jackson1996), theirintentions of refrainingfrom killing & Nel2002, rodentof stan,kittens have been found in April-May future,but noted that jird,which was the most c0mm0n theseanimals in the (Heptner Sludskii1992). We observed BPA,was identified asthe main food rtem of and herddogs sometimes chase and kill caracals ofbirth studyconducted in youngcubs in August and the timing protectrnglivestock herds' caracalduring atracking while inthis species might be similar tothat In 0ur werethe SaudiArabia (Van Heezik & Seddan 1998) Scatsof stripedhyena and wolf tofour kittens have seemto playa keyrole tn neighboringcountry. Up mostcommonly found carnivore scats in Ungulatesdon't arelow beenreported from Kavir National Park, lran scatsrecognized bysize, BPAcaracal diet as the numbers BPA0f 10 caracal (Harrington& Darrehshouri 1977) but usu- andother, larger carnivores are present and shapeand location near caracal scent mark- areborn tn on them.Ground btrds' ally2-3 (rarely up to five) kittens trees,the mostcommonly identified moredependent ing potential onelitter (Harrison & Bates 1991 ) Cubsstill of Libyanjird alongwith wild ungulatesoffer remainswere the mandibles theirmother until October in foodresources inthe study site A studyin accompanied Merionestibycus and Cape hare Also Cape isfrom 9-10 thatup to 70%of daily me- BPA.The age of independence harefur and that of various unidentified ro- lndiaindicates forcaracals rsobtained months(Nowell & Jackson 1996)' werefound in all scats No remains of tabolizableenergy dents Caracalis a secretiveanimal and is per- groundbirds were found fromrodents (Mukheriee etal. 2004)' wildungulates or scarceas the scattered recoros A highnumber of Libyanjirds and Cape hapsnot as inthese scats. (Harrison& Bates 1991) Because haresin the dense bushy vegetation ofthe suggest smallmammals and lives in re- corezone makes this a considerablymore it feedson 0iscussion leastthreatened for caracalthan the rest moteareas it maybe the Generally,it seems that caracal isthe most suitablehabitat "Protected of specifrcplant ofany felid in lran. Caracal isa felidin BPA.This is alsotrue in of BPA.The use by caracal abundant Species"according tolranian Department of in central communitiesshowed a signtficant posltlve Abbas'abadNaein, an arid area (DoE) andhunting them ls to prer7biomass of rodents(Av- Environment laws lranwhere caracals coexrst with four other correlation
CATnews 50 Spnng2009 Caracalrn Eahrram J"D.o -ecleo A'ea
proh¡bitedunder any circumstances w¡tha fineof at least US$ 750 ln the Asian range states,the caracal islisted in CITES Appen- dixI andhas IUCN Least Concern status. ln BPAno recent poaching ofcaracal has been reportedby Department of Environment of- ficialsalthough a road-killed caracal was photographed20km north of BPA borders in 2005.The main threats agarnst the caracal's survivallnBPA are considered tobe domes- ticherding dogs and motor vehicle traffic. Corezone biodiversity has been conserved muchbetter during recent years (e.g. there hasbeen a considerablepopulation in- creaseof the critically endangered onager there),and upgrading the protectedarea to nationalpark status could ensure the survivalof endangeredspecies of thearea aslong as there is a sufficientbuffer zone aroundit. Because ofthe lack of grazing in thecore zone, vegetation cover is in good conditionand smaller prey itemsoccur in Fig. 4. Caracalcaptured at clawn(photo: Plantor the LandSoclelyT highnumbers. Meanwhile severe pressure fromlivestock grazing has degraded many plainsoutside the core zone. Drought has References hada negativeimpact on BPA gg8. {particularlyAvenantN L. & NelJ A J.1 Homerange use, HarrisonD.L & BatesPJ.J. 1991 The Mammals in livestockareas) in the recent years, too, activity,and density of caracal inrelation to of Arabia,Znd edition. Harrison Zoological Thelevel of conflictbetween localsand preydensity. African Journal of Ecology36, lVuseum,England. 354 pp. wildlifein BPA is low, but poaching ofwild 13 347359. HeptnerVG. & SludskiAA 1992lVammals of ungulatesoccurs in someparts of thepro- AvenantN L. & NelJ A.J 2002.Among habitat theSoviet Union, Vol. Z, ParI2., Carnivora. tectedarea. By preventing over-grazing and variationinprey availability and use by cara- EnglishTranslation byHoffmann B.S. Smith- reducingherding dogs inthe area with spe- calFelis caracal. N,4ammalian Biol.67, 1g-33 sonianInstitution Libraries. cralconcern, upgrading BPA infrastructure Darvishsefat A.A.2006. Atlas 0f Protected Areas N/isonneX 1 959 Analyse zoogeographique des (includingpatrol cars and other facilities) oflran [English-Persian] University ofTehran lVlammiferesde l'lran. Publ. Inst RoySci andincreasing the number of game-war- Press.157pp. Nat.Belgique, ser.11. 59, 1-157 dens,this vital biodiversity reserve could Divyabhanusinh. 1995.The end of a Trail,the lVukherjeeS, Goyal SP, Johnsingh AJT. & bea magnificentarea for felid research and cheetah inIndia. Paul's Press,247 pp. Leite-PitmanB.P 2004. The importance of conservationprojects. Harborrng five spe- Etemad E.1985. lVlammals oflran 2.d Vol. lranian rodentsinthe diet of jungle cat (Felis chaus), ciesof wildcats, most of themof global DepartmentofEnvironment. 298pp. caracallCaracal caracall and golden jackal conservationconcern, BPA needs more spe- Farhadinia M.S.,Akbari H., Beheshri lV & Sade- \Canisaureusl in SariskaTiger Feserve, Ba- cificstudies 0n the d¡str¡bution andecology ghi A 2007Ecologyand status ofthe Caracal, lasthan,India. Journal of Zoology,London. offelids. Caracalcaracal, inAbbasabad Naein Reserve, 262,405411. lran. Zoologyinthe Middle East 41, 5-g. NowellK. & JacksonP 1996 Wild cats - Status Farhadinia M S.,Akbari H, BeheshtilV, Sade- surveyand Conservation Action plan. IUCN/ Acknowledgements ghi A.& HalvaniM.R 2008. Felids of rhe Ab- SSCCat Specialist Group IUCN 3B3pp. Weare grateful for the invaluable information basabadNaein Reserve, lran Cat News 49, VanHeezikY & Seddan PJ l99BBange sizeand ofgame-wardens whoassisted usin this survey. 1416. habitatuse of an adult male caracal innorth- Thework was supported bythe staff of plan for GhoddousiA.,Ghadirian T.,Fahimi H. & Nabian ernSaudi Arabia. J.Arid Envir 40, i09-i12. theLand Society The team also thanks for the IVI2008 Presence/absence studyon Asiatic logistical supportby DoE of Farsprovince, and H. cheetahin Bahram'gurProtected Area, Fars, Ziaie,former project manager of"Conservation I lran{2006-2007). Plan for the Land Society. Planfor the Land Society, Tenran, lran ofAsiatic Cheetah Project", for financialsupport Finalreport, 44 pp [Farsiwith English Execu-
CATnews 50 Spnng2009 newsfrom arounC the world
ASTRIDVARGASI, ANTONIO RIVNS, IÑIEO SÁruCI¡2, FERNANDOVNRrÍru12, ¡OSE t0 monrtorgenetic status of thewild and ANTONIOGODOY EDUARDO ROIOÁru, RODRIGO CUNHA SERRAANdVINRíN ¡OSÉ PÉNrZ captivep0pulations. Most importantly, our multidisciplinaryresearch isgenerating new Iberian lynx conservation insightsinto the unique biology ofthis spe- - cieswhile our intensive management ison breeding programme update courseto meetthe overali recovery goal of attempt¡ngreintroduction of captive-raised Atthe moment there are 77 lberian lynx in threecenters: Acebuche, 0livilla and Je_ lynxby 2010. Finally, the programme carles rezzoo.60animals are adults (30 mares and30 females). and l7 arecubs born this outa capacity-buildingplanaimed at prepar- yearin captivity.10 cubs are in Acebuche and7 in 0livilla.At themoment, the dif- ingprofessionals forworking on endangered ferentlitters go through the second critical stagein theirdevelopmenr, the period of specresconservatt0n aswell as sensitizing aggressivenesswhere fights between siblings cantake place. All littersborn this thegeneral public and decislon-marers about yearhave experienced periods of fights during theirsecond month of life. theimportance of conserving habitat for the recoveryofthis endangered felid Thisis the first year that a subadultfemale, troductionwill oscillate between 20 and 40 Dama,raises cubs successfully. Bothparents, per r anrmals year.This year a newcenter will Centrode Cría de Lince lbérico "El Acebuche,,, Damaand Domo, were born in captivityin beopened inPortugal (see below), and there EspacioNatural de Doñana, Matalascañas, 2001in Acebuche, and thisreproduction in ishope that in 2010 the center of Granadilla Huelva,España 0livillarepresents a newlandmark for the inExtremadura willalso be operational. This
RODRIGOCUNHA SERRA' Thework of these centres isbeing coordina- tedby a multi-lateralcommission involving First PortugueseIberian lynx variousSpanish regional governments, as wellas the environment ministries of both captive breedingfacility Spainand Portugal. Thenew centre at Silvesis being funded by Thenewest captive breeding facility to join the lberianlynx ex situprogram was Aguasdo Algarve as part of a seriesof com- inauguratedin silves.southern portugal, on22Way200g. This centre iras t6 breed_ pensatt0nmeasures stipulated bythe Eur0- ing enclosureswith audioand video surveillance, a coordinationand monitoring peanUnion for the construction of the con- building,clinic, laboratory and quarantine facilities. troversialOdelouca dam. Other measures will includehabitat and rabbit recovery projects in TheSilves centre, join the4th to theex situ breedingcentres, including the three existing southernPortugal. program andthe firstto operateoutside centresinAndalucia atEl Acebuche inDoña- Spain,is nowbeing prepared to receive province, 1 up na,ZooJerez and La 0livilla in Jaen InvestigaqáoVeterinária Independente to 20animals until the end year ofthe The andfurther planned Spanish centrés inAnda- L¡sboa,Portugal newcentre will formparl of a network of lynx lucia,Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura.
CATnews 50 Spnng2009