Svtnn CnnNrvonr CoNSERVATToN TheNewsletter and Journal of thelucN/ssc Mustelid,Viverrid & ProcyonidSpecialist Group IUCN Number29 October2003 SPEcTESSuRVrv.rl CoMMrssroN Zonzbor ServahneCenel Gen etta servalinaarcheri ZonztborBushy-toile,l Mangoose Bdeogale $assicauda tenu is Phatas:Helle V. Coldmon & lon WintherHonsen Theproduction and distribution of thisissue has been sponsored by "MarwellPreservation Trust Ltd", Colden Common, UK "RoyalZoological Society of Antwerp",Antwerp, Belgium "ColumbusZoo", Powell, Ohio, USA and "WildlifeConservation Society/Central Park Wildlile Centel', NewYork, NY. USA Svren Cnnxrvonr CoNSERVATToN The Newsletterand Journalof theIUCN/SSC Mustelid,Viverrid & ProcyonidSpecialist Group Editor-in-chief: HarryVan Rompaey, Edegem, Belgium Associateeditor: William Duckworth, Bristol, UK Editorial board: Angela Glatston,Rotterdam, Netherlands Michael Riffel, Heidelberg,Germany Arnd Schreiber,Heidelberg, Germany RolandWirth, Miinchen,Germany This numberwasalso sponsored by: ffiDr,".-ffffi lTp,o)t@ ZW Thc !icws exprcssedin ihis publlcationarc thoscofthe authofsand do not necessarilyrellecr rhose of the IUCN. nor rhc ILICN/SSCMustelid. Vi\,errid & ProcyonidSpecialist cfoup. 'Ihe aim ofthi! publicaiionis lc' offcr the membersofthe IUCN/SSC MV&PSG. rnd lhose who.tre concemcdwirh mustelids,virenids. and proclonids, bricfp.rpeh. news itemi. abltracts.and tirles ol rcccnt literalure All readersare in\'ilcd to send materia to: Small CarnivoreConservation c/o Dn H. Van Rompaey Jan Verbertlei,15 2650Edegem - Belgium [email protected] Printedon recycled prpcr ISSN l0l9-5041 First photographs of the Zanzibar Servaline Genet Genelta seraalina archei and other endemic subspecieson the island of Unguja, Tanzania Helle V. GOLDMANT and Jon WINTHER-HANSEN, ln January 200:1.a camera napping survey in Jozrni krssof habitat (Myers "r d1..2000, t. 85:l). Joani{hwaka Bay Chwaka Ba] National Park. Zanzibar. resullcd in rhe fifsr National Park. upgr,rdedfrcln a forest feservear the begjnningol phofographsof the Zanzibar Senaline Genet c",eta seNalind 2003and enlars.-d ro 50 km:. encompasesUnsuja's only rclnaining dr./r"ri. This subspcciesis endemicto theisland ofUnguja andhas natural,older-growth forcst (Robini', 1976:Williams !,r rl.. 1998i only recendy bccn delcribed. The three olher docnmenred Box 5.5.4 in Rodgers& Burgess.2000). 1!comprises a mosaicol hdigenous smal1cNrn ivores of the islandwere alsophob rrapped: other habitatsas wcll. includirg .oral rag thicke!,bracken tields. Zanzibar BLrshy-railedMongoose Bdr:ogaft,trussicau.]a tenuis, saltmarshgrassland and rngro!c forcsls.Whilc pcopledo illegally ZanzibarSlender Mongo('se H(rpest?s sanurin.u tut'es.ensLnt pach and cut wood wirhin thc boundaricsof lhe park. Jozani s Aliican Civet Cirettittis civettd s(hwar:i. Both nongooses are tlorr and launa are probably under less hunnn prcs\urc th.llr endemic suhspecies.while the popularion of Aliican Civets on sunounding a.crs, which dre afforded no legal protec{ionor arc thguja belongsto a subspeciesrlso li)und on the adjacentcoast under thc control of local communities. of lhe mainland(Packenham, 198,1i scc allo Ray. 1995).To our knowledge. no liling spe.imens of ihese animals halc bccn Methods phdographed in Zanzibir bcforc. Two baitedTrailMaster camcra Lrats. using infrafed sensors, Wilh Lhe limited resourcesof Zanzibar's cnlironnental were deplolcd in lhe p,uk for a total of 55 trap-nighls durinS authoritiesfocused on a small number of highly salientspccics, Janury 2003.To samplcdillcrent habitatsin a ldrgeportion of ibe praicularly Aders Dui'kerCephdbphus atie^i and the Zanzibar park, thc setswere moved ofien: by ihe end oflhe sludy the tr.rps Rcd Colobus Monkey P.o.olob,r ftirttt {onsidered ihe iwo had been set up at l0 locarions- nrosl imponant indicatorspecics.lhc rcst ofZanzibar's faunahas rccci!cd co'nparativelylitrle attenlion.Most inrcrnatnnralreseafch Survcy ettirl was concentratedin the coral rrg thicket rnd conscrlation effofts have been snnilarly oricnt.d. Among becauseofthc inrpo(ance in docunentingthe wildliie in the Dore Unguja's fauna is a iargely overlookcdguild which includeslour thrcatenedhabitat. The park s thicketcd areas proponionally i1digen.,.r,'mJll .JIi\Jre,. lhe J.rn ot ^ur r,,m(.r: :pprn! nrucb morc extensivethdn the groundwaterfbrest appcarL(, be \urvey was to documenl lhc small carnivore spe.ies presenl in under heavierhuman pressurcin thc forn ol illegNl hunting and Jozani Chwaka Bay NrlnJnrlPrrk. The largerobjeciives were ro augment our very scanty knowledge of these aninals ltnd to contrjbuteto their preservition in ZanzibNr. Results Study area The fesultirg 7l photogrrphs ol wild oinrals included representarilcsof even species: ore Vimare lcercopithetu\ Un-!uja. the main island in LhcZanlibdr drchipelago.lies riirir). one rodent (Pdldazn! pulliatus), one niscclilorc (lhrew about6'' souih ofthe equalorand 40 km from nrainlandTanzania st.) andtourcarnivores: Aiiican Civct Cn,etnttr.trena schtrat.i. lnd hrs an areaofapproxnnalely 1,600km'. The deepersoil zone ZNnribrr Seryaline Getet G?nette senltlina dfth"ri. Znti6^l of lhe leslcn prlt of the islard fbrnrerly supponedmoisl forest, Bushy-railcdMonsoose a deosat. ft1tI i<:au.l.1k'nuit andZanzibar while in ihe east and much of lhc s)uth thicket and dry tbren Slender Mongoose Heryestes sdnsunteusnrf.J, e"J. All seven "corul covered the drier and less lcnil€ ra8" zone fossil cor,tl sFcies $ere photo-lrappedin thc cotul tug Lhickettlhfee species incompletelyoverlain by a thin layer ofpoor soil. The islard has wcrc alsophoto trappedin lhe groundwater foresl. Ol tho! i vcrids beenseparalcd l()m mainland Africa for ca. I 0,(X)0I 5.0m yca|s. pemitling rhc evolution of severalendemic rnammal subspecies (Moreau & Pakenhdrn.l94l: Pikenharn. 1984rKingdon. l98il). tun ibdr Sltunhv G.r.t Cenetta servalina arhci rfr,r, rztrr?tl it1 h.a,1 (h*dku Rur Nuli.nul Pdtk. S?? tlounan & trtnth.r Haas.a 2003 lar !hi\ wirh about 52.1.000 inhabitanrs. Unguja has a rural rhobNrdth in .o|.tt I'lDtu: Jon Vr'inthlt l!.n^(n & H!11? V. ti.ltlnar populationdensity ofsone lT0pcNons I'er klnr(figures basedon tlniled Rcpublic of Tanzania, l99l; Zanzibat Rcvolulionary Govennent. 1992). Rur.rl Zanliharis make thet living tiorr \ariurs combinalion! of cash crop and subsislcncccukivrtion. livcsto.k husbrndry. charcoal and line producrior. harvesring .rnd selling fuclwood and building poles, hunting and fishing. lncreasingio scalelrs the human populrtn)n grows (by over 37. per )eat. 'nany of theseactivities hale scr()usly degradedthe natural environmentinparts ol Lhcisland. Habitat deshctior andhunting are two ofthe main ihreats1o the island's wild faura. Zrnzibar lics wirhin the PasternArc and CoastalFo.esls ''blodiversity hotspoi', onc of 25 areas fearunng erceplional con.entrationsof endenic speciesand cxperien.ing exceptional andhcrt.\Lid\. rllbur lhcAliicrD Ci\ct $crcphoio-Irapped ir both species.and the Smrll Irdi{n Ci\ct l,ir.rft r/li i,r/nd. of A\ian the thilket and rhe gr)rtrxlwltcr li)rc\t. ongrn.$eighirg this.rgrin( drequanLit) ol fhotogr'.rth\ol lhe nxti\e snull crrni\orcs.rhc lack of BandedMongN\e rnd Snral Lrch crmilo.c spccics$as pholo rrrppeclrl l$o or rore lndian Civet pictufes sullcsts thrt thcsc i roclucedspecie\ are k)cltions.lheZan/ibar S.Nrlinc GcDcl\a\ phototrapped rl ionr lesscommon than ha\ heen!s{mcd. rL lcrst i l}teJoz.rni arer. sitcs.rhc African Ci\cL al l\o. lhc Z.tnzibff SlenderMongoose xI 1\ o. rnd the B ushr''triled Nlongoosear rhree. l hree c.tm.rr traf r\mnrs thc sunet s rro( tE\tafding fesuhs $.r. fholo l..r^r rr,,.luri,lphnro.r.p1. al r',1rple .JI r\ure .fe. ,, gnl'hs o1Z{n /ibd B u\h} railedNlorsooses A./.ag.ri. t rus\tt1u tl Ore \ire yicldcd ph(nogrlphsol the Zanzibar Bn\h)-talled k?riir. l'rtchily distribulcd ,rcrosssotrth eartern Alrica. Bushv- lvlongoo\crnd Zanzlhar SlenderNlongoose: another the Afficrn t.rilcd l\4ongooscsclist .r1lo\.! deositresin habitatsrlngrng trom (lirel and Zrnlibrr S.Nrlinc G.ncL. ADolhcr locatid )ielded oper acrcia woodlrnd ro lowldnd Iinrst (Kingdo . 1977i Taylor. tholo-enfhs rcprcscnlingrll lour crnrilort species.ln ftc(.lhree 1986.1987: Schfeiber./ d/., 1989).Lirllc is known aboutlhe .pc.ic\ canr. $nhin a ft$ hours ot one anotherduring a single biolor) lnd ccok)gy ol Lhisclusi\r noclurnalnongoose and ihe nigbl/early rornirg at this trap slre. The rwo shoftestintenrls .ruscs olits rdily arc nol uoders{ood(Taybr. 11186.1987r Sturfi hctwccn rccordcd |isils b) dltiere|r carnirore specieswere l8 in Nlills & Hes. 1991).Ol rhc Iour recognizedsubspecies. one has n nutes separatrngliiit! I'y thc two mongoosc\pccics and .1.1 endangeredstatus in the IUCN Red I-isl oJThrc enedspecies: a. minriies diliding riliti br- a Z,r /ibxr Scrt.tlnre (lenel and a t. ot]|,itotu. which ^ probablyconlincd to lhe di inishing Zanzibar Bushy-t:riledMongooie. Atubuko SokokcFoi:st in corslal Kenya (Schre iber .r d!., I 989). Kingclondcscribes B. .. /.r!ir as smallef rnd darkcr" thln B. .. Three of dresespecies were phoio trappedexclusivcly at , rdsn?r./a. thc orninale race (1977. p. 1.16).Bascd oD molrr nighr. Zarzibar Servalrre Genets sere tholo tr'lfped bctwccn dcnlition. hc suggesrslhal rhe isolated Zanrihaf lltrsh] tailcd l9:56 al}d03:2.1. Similarl,!. Afiican Cive!! triggcrcd thc canrcrr\ \,fongoose nllraybe the rnosl prinlirile fo.m oi1J. |tutsntukld lta(nrg aL 20:09 rnd cnding ar 0l:.11. The ihird rocturnal small (1977.p. :.16).The dicL(n Bush) tailcd Mongoosesis believedto crrni!orc, Zanribar Bushy railed Nlongooseswere pholo tmpped