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Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Short Communication The first photographic record of the Red Panda Ailurus fulgens (Cuvier, 1825) from Lamjung District outside Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal Ganesh Ghimire, Malcolm Pearch, Badri Baral, Bishnu Thapa & Rishi Baral 26 September 2019 | Vol. 11 | No. 12 | Pages: 14576–14581 DOI: 10.11609/jot.4828.11.12.14576-14581 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. 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Partner Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 September 2019 | 11(12): 14576–14581 The first photographic record of the Red Panda Ailurus fulgens (Cuvier, 1825) from Lamjung District ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) outside Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal Short Communication Short ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Ganesh Ghimire 1 , Malcolm Pearch 2 , Badri Baral 3 , Bishnu Thapa 4 & Rishi Baral 5 PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS 1,4,5 Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Zoology, Kirtpur 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal. 2 Harrison Insttute, Centre for Systematcs and Biodiversity Research, Bowerwood House, 15 St. Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 3AQ, United Kingdom. 3 Nepal Environmental Research Insttute, Tarakeshwor 9, Kathmandu, Nepal. 5 Natonal Trust for Nature Conservaton, Annapurna Conservaton Area Project, P.O. Box 183, Hariyo Kharka, Pokhara, Nepal. 1 [email protected], 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected], 5 [email protected] (corresponding author) Abstract: In May and June, 2018, a series of feld surveys was northern Myanmar to Sichuan Province in south-central undertaken to determine the presence of the Red Panda Ailurus China (Glatston et al. 2015). Throughout its range, its fulgens in Marsyangdi Rural Municipality in Lamjung District, western Nepal. A single, adult, Red Panda was photographed and recorded preferred bamboo habitat is increasingly under threat on video at Nafada Khola while scratch marks and distnctve scats from human actvity, adding further pressure to its provided evidence of Red Panda actvity at eleven further localites at elevatons between 3,150 and 3,650 m. Threats to the habitat of A. highly disjunct distributon. fulgens within the study area are discussed. Despite having extensive tracts of bamboo forest between 2,500 and 4,000 m, which is the species’ Keywords: Ailurus fulgens, Red Panda, distributon, Lamjung District, Nepal. preferred habitat, Nepal is considered currently to support only 1.9% of the total global populaton of Red Pandas (Bista & Paudel 2014). The Red Panda Ailurus fulgens is classifed as In Nepal, A. fulgens has been reported from Endangered by IUCN and is confned to the temperate the following districts: Taplejung, Panchthar, forests in the foothills of the Himalaya. Its range extends Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu, Ramechhap, Dolakha, from Kalikot District in western Nepal (Dangol 2014), Sindhupalchowk, Rolpa, Rukum, and Mugu (Jnawali et al. eastwards through northeastern India, Bhutan, and 2012), Ilam (Williams 2004), Jajarkot (Baral 2014), Kalikot DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4828.11.12.14576-14581 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:960F4820-5302-40CD-9333-5586B142AB98 Editor: Angela R. Glatston, Red Panda Network, Eugene, USA. Date of publicaton: 26 September 2019 (online & print) Manuscript details: #4828 | Received 15 January 2019 | Final received 22 June 2019 | Finally accepted 31 August 2019 Citaton: Ghimire, G., M. Pearch, B. Baral, B. Thapa & R. Baral (2019). The frst photographic record of the Red Panda Ailurus fulgens (Cuvier, 1825) from Lamjung District outside Annapurna Conservaton Area, Nepal. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(12): 14576–14581. htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4828.11.12.14576-14581 Copyright: © Ghimire et al. 2019. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: Small Grant from The Ruford Foundaton, UK. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. Acknowledgements: We are pleased to acknowledge the Department of Natonal Parks & Wildlife Conservaton, and the Natonal Trust for Nature Conservaton (Annapurna Conservaton Area Project) for providing useful informaton and for grantng permission to undertake this research. We extend our thanks to Ganesh Tripathi and to the local guides, Maita Bahadur Gurung and Balaram Gurung, for their help during the feld survey. We are grateful to Basant Kumpakha and Dipak Raj Basnet for their kind assistance with GIS mapping. This research was funded by a Small Grant from The Ruford Foundaton, U.K., for which the lead author would like to express his sincere appreciaton. 14576 Photographic record of Red Panda from Lamjung District Ghimire et al. (Dangol 2014), Khotang (Mali 2014), Bhojpur, Dolpa, and Untl the present study, Ailurus fulgens was known Lamjung (MoFSC 2016), and Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Myagdi, to occur in Lamjung District only within Annapurna Baglung, and Dhading (Bista et al. 2017). Ailurus fulgens Conservaton Area (MoFSC 2016) although scats was reported to occur in Manang District (Paudel 2009) consistent with those of A. fulgens were identfed also but its presence there has not been confrmed (Bista et in the District at Ghermu (28.3780N & 84.4110E) (MoFSC al. 2017). 2016). The purpose of the current feld surveys was The protected areas in Nepal in which the species to determine the presence and populaton status of A. is known to occur include Kangchenjunga Conservaton fulgens in Lamjung District outside protected areas. Area (Mahato & Karki 2005; Yonzon 1996), Manaslu Conservaton Area (Yonzon et al. 1997), Makalu Barun Materials And Methods Natonal Park (Jackson 1990), Sagarmatha Natonal Park Study area (Mahato 2004), Langtang Natonal Park (Yonzon 1989; Lamjung District is located in Gandaki Province Yonzon & Hunter 1991; Yonzon et al. 1991; Fox et al. in western Nepal. The total populaton of the district 1996), Annapurna Conservaton Area (Shrestha & Ale is 1,67,724 with 42,079 households (CBS 2011). The 2001), Dhorpatan Huntng Reserve (Sharma & Kandel district is located between 28.055–28.5100N and 2007), and Rara Natonal Park (Sharma 2008). 84.189–84.1890E (Fig. 1). It has an elevaton range of Figure 1. Study area in Marsyangdi Rural Municipality, Lamjung District, Nepal Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 September 2019 | 11(12): 14576–14581 14577 Photographic record of Red Panda from Lamjung District Ghimire et al. 385 –8,162m and covers an area of 1,692km² (DDC 2011). The climate is dictated by elevaton and topography, which results in a mosaic of diferent geographical zones, from subtropical conditons in southern areas to an alpine zone in the north. Average annual rainfall is 2,448mm. (www.meteomean.com), more than 80% of which occurs during the monsoon season (June to September) (DDC 2011). Average air temperature A ranges from a minimum of 15.50°C to a maximum of 27.17°C (DDC 2011). Marsyangdi Rural Municipality is the largest of the rural municipalites in Lamjung District and covers an area of 597.25km2 with a total populaton of 18,759 (CBS 2011). The Municipality is located between 28.251– 28.5100N and 84.238–84.6190E. Marsyangdi Rural Municipality is characterised by subtropical, temperate, subalpine, alpine, and nival vegetaton. Common plant species include Abies spectabilis, Betula utlis, Drepanostachyum falcatum, Juniperus spp., Quercus lanata, Q. semecarpifolia, Rhododendron anthopogon, R. arboreum, R. barbatum, and Tsuga dumosa. B Marsyangdi Rural Municipality has nine wards, of which wards 5, 6, and 7 (Ghermu, Bahundanda, and Bhulbhule VDCs) lie outside Annapurna Conservaton Area (ACA) with the remainder of the wards being managed as part of the ACA. Seasonal transhumance (the movement of catle and herders between lower valleys in winter and higher pastures in summer) is commonplace within the study area. Methods As a part of a Ruford Small Grant project, a team C comprising six members surveyed areas near Ghermu, Bahundanda, and Bhulbhule (Wards 5, 6, and 7 of Marsyangdi Rural Municipality) in May and June, 2018. An area of 15.54km2 of potental Red Panda habitat