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2015

The Small Indian ( auropunctatus): A Locally Protected Yet Internationally Persecuted Invasive

M. Aaron Owen CUNY Queens College

Y.V. Jhala Wildlife Institute of

David Lahti CUNY Queens College

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This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] The Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus): A Locally Protected Yet Internationally Persecuted Invasive Species

1,2 A Threatened Species in India M. Aaron Owen , Methods Y.V. Jhala3, David Lahti1,2 have a 1Queens College, CUNY, Flushing, NY 11367 rich cultural history 2The Graduate Center, CUNY, New York, NY 10016 with the people of 3Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, UK 248001, India India.

However, they are heavily poached for their fur, which is then sold for the manufacture of high- quality paintbrushes.

An Invasive Pest Data Collected

One species, the small Indian Morphological and genetic data mongoose, was introduced to were collected from 51 Dehradun

Jamaica in 1872 for pest control. Jwalapur mongooses found in seven Saharanpur

Within 15 years, it had spread to the populations sampled from three rest of the and many cites of Northern India.

places throughout the world. Home ranges and habitat

Today it is known as one of the worst Objectives preferences were inferred from invasive species on the planet, having radio telemetry, i.e., the daily caused island extirpations and even 1. Obtain the first quantitative natural history tracking of the movements of 15 extinctions of endemic species. data of the small Indian mongoose where it mongooses for 30 or more days. is protected in its native range of India

A Natural Experiment 2. Use these data to create more effective Outlook Its introduction history demon- management practices in areas across the The small Indian mongoose remains both strates an excellent model to globe where it is invasive protected and persecuted, but the data test evolutionary predictions. collected here will help raise awareness 3. Test evolutionary hypotheses, specifically and improve management. Comparisons of populations from the native range (i.e., a regarding the evolution of social behavior Comparison of these data with those control group) to those in the and the traits utilized in mating decisions previously collected in has already introduced ranges (i.e., the revealed exciting evolutionary patterns. experimental groups), allow us Future data will deepen our under- to observe evolution in situ in standing of both invasion biology and the an organism otherwise un- evolution of intraspecies interactions. suitable for laboratory testing. Thulin et al. 2006