Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 April 2021 | 13(5): 18156–18163
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6100.13.5.18156-18163
#6100 | Received 05 May 2020 | Final received
08 February 2021 | Finally accepted 20 March 2021
The endangered Himalayan Red Panda: first photographic evidence from its
westernmost distribution range
Saroj Shrestha
1*, Sony Lama 2*, Ang Phuri Sherpa
3, Sonam Tashi Lama 4 & Dinesh Ghale 5
1–5 Red Panda
Network(RPN), 198, Dasarath Chand Marga,
Baluwatar, Kathmandu, 44600, Nepal.
1 saroj.stha44@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 sonylama2016sony@gmail.com (corresponding
author),
3 ang.sherpa@redpandanetwork.org,
4 sonam.lama@redpandanetwork.org, 5 dinesh.ghale@redpandanetwork.org
* These authors
contributed equally to the manuscript and share senior authorship
Editor: Sunita Pradhan,
ATREE, Regional Office-North-East India, Gangtok,
India. Date of
publication: 26 April 2021 (online & print)
Citation: Shrestha, S., S.
Lama, A.P. Sherpa, S.T. Lama & D. Ghale (2021). The endangered
Himalayan Red Panda: first photographic evidence from its westernmost
distribution range. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(5): 18156–18163. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6100.13.5.18156-18163
Copyright: © Shrestha et al. 2021. Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: Red Panda Network.
Competing interests: The authors
declare no competing interests.
Author details: Saroj Shrestha, Program Coordinator: Saroj specializes in
conservation ecology and arboreal mammals. A particular concern of his is the
protection of endangered species and the Himalayas unique flora and fauna. His
research interests include reintroduction biology, threatened species
monitoring and management. Saroj completed his Masters in Environmental Science
with a Wildlife Management Specialization in 2014. Sony Lama, Program Associate: Sony has been involved with
RPN as program associate since 2018. Her expertise and interest lie in global
changes and environmental governance. Sony has a keen interest in Adaptive
Management utilizing the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation. She
holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from the University
of Northampton, UK. Ang Phuri Sherpa, Country Director: Ang has decades of
experience in the conservation sector. Ang has worked for WWF Nepal at
different capacities for more than a decade. Presently, he has been involved
with RPN as a Country Director since 2014. He has a strong background in
Protected Area and Tourism Management. In 1996, he received his Master’s degree
from Lincoln University in New Zealand. Sonam Tashi Lama,
Program Coordinator: Sonam joined RPN in its early days. He founded a library
in his village in Taplejung district in eastern
Nepal. He is the recipient of several prestigious scholarships. He is well
known for his camera trapping studies in Nepal and beyond. He obtained his
Master’s degree in ecology and international nature conservation from Lincoln
University and the University of Gottingen respectively. Dinesh Ghale,
Program Officer: Dinesh previously worked with WWF Nepal in Central Nepal. He
has been working for RPN since 2016. Presently, he is responsible for a red
panda conservation project in Western Nepal. Project management and planning
are his strong suits. Dinesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry.
Author contribution: Saroj Shrestha (conceptualization;
data curation; investigation; project administration; supervision;
writing-original draft), Sony Lama (conceptualization; data curation;
investigation; project administration; supervision; writing-original draft),
Ang Phuri Sherpa (funding acquisition and project
administration), Sonam Tashi Lama (investigation and
project administration), Dinesh Ghale (data curation
and writing-review and editing).
Acknowledgements: We would like to
acknowledge the support of Red Panda Network, and local partner organizations.
We are grateful to all the field biologists, field assistants, and local
communities involved for their support in this work. We are also thankful to
the editor and the anonymous reviewers for suggesting constructive comments on
the manuscript.
Abstract: An endangered
species, the Himalayan Red Panda Ailurus fulgens is one of the most iconic and sought-after
species in the world. Although a symbolic species of the Himalayas, it is
threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and poaching. The data collection
was carried out in accordance with the Red Panda community-based monitoring
protocol. Threats to the Himalayan Red Panda within the study area are reported
based on key informant interviews and direct field observation. This paper
provides new evidence for the presence of Himalayan Red Pandas beyond their
previously-known westernmost limit (81.687778°E) across its distribution range.
An average encounter rate of 0.92 signs/km was recorded from the surveyed
community forests. Trees were the most preferred substrates used for
defecation. Extensive resource collection, poaching, overgrazing and forest
fires are identified as some of the most significant threats. In general, the
study contributes to the conservation of the Himalayan Red Panda in western
distribution ranges.
Keywords: Ailurus fulgens, arboreal, firefox, indirect sign, photographic evidence.
Abbreviation: CF—Community Forest |
DDC—District Development Committee | KII—Key informant interview.
Introduction
The language of
photography is universal, and it plays a crucial role in educating people on
wildlife and environmental issues (Lott 1992; Russell 1996; Montag et al.
2005). Photo identification is one of
the studies in population ecology central to a range of applied fields such as
biological diversity, conservation biology, and wildlife management (Bauwens et al. 2018).
Photographic identification is critical when animals are difficult to
capture and when the aim of the research is to understand natural population
processes and animal behavior with negligible
interference (Bradfield 2004; Bauwens et al. 2018).
Researchers are using
photographic identification methods to survey biological communities (O’Connell
et al. 2011). Photographic images
are reliable and non-invasive data collection tools to track wildlife
populations (Karlsson et al. 2005; Frisch & Hobbs 2007; Carpentier
et al. 2016). Species identification and
monitoring using photographs can produce useful ecological data including
distribution patterns, abundance, and other population parameters for analysis
while minimizing time to process bulky datasets (Karlsson et al. 2005; Swanson
et al. 2016). Some photographic
identification approaches now use artificial intelligence to assist field biologists
and citizen scientists in recognizing the species (Kumar et al. 2012). Photographic identification has been
successfully adopted for an extensive range of wild animals (e.g., Puma concolar (Kelly et al. 2008), Mustela
kathiah (Phan et al. 2014), Prionailurus planiceps (Wadey et al. 2014), Ailurus
fulgens (Shrestha et al. 2015), Liopholis slateri slteri (Treilibs et al.
2016), Vipera berus
(Bauwens et al. 2018)).
The Red Panda Ailurus fulgens, an
endangered mammal, classified as two subspecies: the Himalayan Red Panda A.
f. fulgens and the Chinese Red Panda A. f. styani (Hu et al. 2020). The Himalayan Red Panda is an endangered
species (IUCN Red Data Book; Glatston et al. 2015),
confined to the region of southwestern China, Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Myanmar
(Glatston 1989; Yonzon
& Hunter 1989; Pradhan et al. 2001).
Tila Karnali River
in Kalikot District of Nepal is the westernmost
distribution edge (81.66° E) of the Red Panda (Himalayan Red Panda) while its
easternmost distribution edge (Chinese Red Panda) is the Minshan
Mountain and Upper Min Valley in Sichuan Province, in central China (Hu et
al.1990; Schaller et al. 1985; DNPWC & DFSC 2018).
Nepal represents the
westernmost distribution of the Himalayan Red Panda (Shrestha et al.
2021). In Nepal, the Himalayan Red
Pandas are distributed in 24 districts with the potential habitat of 21,680 km2
(Thapa et al. 2020); however, they are vulnerable to extinction due to
habitat loss and fragmentation (Acharya et al. 2018) and poaching (Bista et al. 2017).
Understanding the distribution of the species is a crucial prerequisite
in formulating an effective conservation-dependent species management strategy
(Braun 2005; Titeux et al. 2020). Nevertheless, gathering information with
regard to such endangered species is both a prolonged and labor-intensive
process. In addition, its elusiveness,
rarity, and distribution in remote-rugged habitat limits its detection
probability during field surveys (Shrestha et al. 2015). Only a few indirect evidences of the Himalayan
Red Panda’s occurrence have been recorded from Kalikot
District in the past (Dangol & Chalise 2018). Based
on direct sighting, the current study aims to reconfirm the presence and
distribution of the Himalayan Red Panda in the westernmost edge of its
potential habitat range in Kalikot District of Nepal.
Methods
Study area
Nepal lies between
China in the north and India to the south, east, and west. The majority of Nepal’s landmass lies along
the Himalaya, within a small latitudinal range of approximately 200km, the
country undergoes vast altitudinal changes from 60m along the southern border,
up to 8,848m of Mount Everest. This
difference causes dramatic vicissitudes in Nepal’s landscape and climate. Our study area, i.e., Kalikot
District lies in western Nepal. Kalikot District includes six rural municipalities (RM) and
three municipalities (Figure 1). This
remote and rugged mountainous district spans an elevation of 728–4,790 m and is
located between 28.622220 to 29.125560N and 81.822780
to 82.579440E (DDC 2008).
This district possesses a significant proportion of temperate, tropical,
and sub-tropical zones (Lillesø et al. 2005). The average annual temperature ranges from a
minimum of 17.2°C to a maximum of 29.1°C (DHM 2017). Likewise, other districts in the mid-western
development region, Kalikot also experience low
average annual precipitation of 830.9mm (DHM 2017). This district is ranked as a highly vulnerable locale to climate-induced
disasters such as floods, wildfires, landslides, and droughts (Ministry of
Forests & Soil Conservation 2016).
In Nepal, the Red Panda’s presence has been documented from 24 districts
and seven protected areas with potential habitat of 23,977km2 (DNPWC
& DFSC 2018).
The study was
conducted in the community forest (CF) of three rural municipalities, i.e., Mahawai RM, Panchal Jhara RM, Shubhakalika RM of Kalikot
District (Figure 1). The community
forests: Himkalika CF, Dimreni
CF, Jillitreveni CF and, Gairemela
CF have temperate evergreen forests with
a high dominance of common plant species such as Abies
spectabilis, Tsuga
dumosa, Betula utilis,
Bombax ceiba, Juglans regia, Cedrus
deodara, Pinus wallichiana,
Rhododendron spp., and Quercus semecarpifolia. The study area is rich in medicinal and
aromatic plants such as Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Annona squamosa, Nardostachys
jatamansi, Picrorhiza kurroa, Swertia chirata, Paris polyphylla,
Delphinium denudatum, Morchella
esculenta, Moringa oleifera, Rheum austral, and Dactylorhiza hatagirea (DDC
2008). In general, forests of Kalikot harbors wide range of
wildlife and bird species. The most
commonly found fauna include Muntiacus muntijak, Ursus thibetanus, Ailurus fulgens (Dangol & Chalise 2018), Semnopithecus schistaceus, Moschus
spp., Cervus elaphus,
Hemitragus jemlahicus,
Capricornis thar,
Lophura leucomelanos,
and Lophophorus impejanus
(Jnawali et al. 2011).
Methods
A team comprising
eight field biologists surveyed four CFs of three respective RMs of Kalikot District in autumn season, i.e., October/November
2019. Altogether, 12 linear transects
with an average length of 1km were established covering an area of 5.5km2
of potential Himalayan Red Panda habitat (Ministry of Forests & Soil
Conservation 2015). The transects were
surveyed based on the elevation gradient of 2,500–3,400 m and accessibility of
the terrain. A total of 11.98km transect
length was traversed during 362 working hours in search of indirect evidence
(such as scat, footprints, scratch marks, feeding signs, and/ or remains of
dead animal parts) and direct sightings of the Himalayan Red Panda. Relative abundance was measured by estimating
the encounter rate (ER) of Himalayan Red Panda signs per unit km of transect
walk within the survey area. ER is total
numbers of signs/total length of the transects traversed in kilometers
(Ministry of Forests & Soil Conservation 2015).
A Canon Powershot SX40 HS camera along with GPS (Garmin eTrex 10) was used to capture photographs and record
geographical location during the field survey.
Predominant substrates (such as fallen logs, trees, and forest floors)
used by the Himalayan Red Panda for defecation was recorded for habitat use
analysis.
Potential threats to
the Himalayan Red Panda were determined from direct field observation and key
informant interviews (KII). Altogether,
12 divisional forest officials and 47 community forest users group (CFUG)
members of all surveyed CFs were interviewed with respect to their
socio-economic status, involvement in Himalayan Red Panda stewardship,
knowledge on conservation importance, and the potential hazards to the
species. Chi-square test was conducted
to evaluate the responses from the survey interviewees regarding the pervasive
human disturbances in the core habitat of the species.
Results
Scats of the
Himalayan Red Panda was found at 81.687778° E (Pachal
Jharana RM) at an elevation of 3,216m while
photographic evidence of an adult was recorded at 81.77080°E (Mahawai RM) at an elevation of 2,784 m (Image 1; Figure
2). The signs of its presence was documented
from all surveyed CFs. The photographed
animal was captured while foraging on the branch of Betula utilitis at 09.33h (Image 2, 3). The nearby vegetation of the photographed
site was dominated by Rhododendron campanulatam,
Pinus wallichiana, and dense bamboo understory
(51–75 %). The nearest water body was
approximately 80m away from the camera station.
Himalayan Red Panda
presence signs were documented at the elevation range of 2,500–3,400 m; 70% of
the records were in the range 2,650–3,100 m.
An average encounter rate of 0.92 signs per km were recorded from the
surveyed forests with Himkalika CF having the highest
rate (ER= 1.53 signs/km) followed by Dimreni CF (ER=
0.83 signs/km), Jilli Triveni CF (ER= 0.78 signs/km),
and Gairemela CF (ER= 0.55 signs/km) (Table 1).
Droppings (n= 163
piles) of Himalayan Red Panda were observed on four different substrates, i.e.,
ground, rock, trees, and fallen logs (Figure 3). Trees were the most preferred substrate
(50.92%) followed by ground (28.83%), and fallen logs (13.50%). Rocks (6.75%) were rarely used for defecation
in the study area.
Chi-square statistics
(X2= 9.96, df= 4, p-value= 0.041) was
determined from the interview responses on the existential threats in the
potential habitat of the Himalayan Red Panda within the surveyed area. Of the total interviewed respondents, 38% of
key informants believed that haphazard collection of fuelwood, fodder, timber,
and non-timber forest products on both Government forest regimes and CFs is a
key threat to Himalayan Red Panda habitat and their survival. Besides poaching (27% of respondents),
unsustainable grazing practices (23% of respondents) and forest fires (12% of
respondents) are some other prevailing anthropogenic activities that make this
species vulnerable to extinction. The
major threats identified through direct field observation include traditional transhuman herding activities, extensive resource
collection, and human-induced forest fires.
Discussion
This study provides
documentation of photographic evidence of live Himalayan Red Panda from the
westernmost distribution of its habitat range.
Previously, the only indirect sign of the species was documented from Kalikot District (DNPWC & DFSC 2018). Based on ground-truthing, the occurrence of
the Himalayan Red Panda has now been confirmed from Mahawai
RM of Kalikot District. The distance between the recent photographed
site and the location where the indirect sign was detected is 21.5km. The photographed location revealed some
important information about the habitat preferences of the Himalayan Red Panda,
which was photographed feeding on Betula utilis leaves;
more than 80% of its diet includes bamboo species (Reid et al. 1991; Yonzon & Hunter 1991; Wei et al. 1999). Interestingly, feeding on leaves and fruits
of this tree species has been sporadically documented in Nepal (Panthi et al. 2015; Sharma et al. 2014). Fondness for these sites with diverse
vegetation such as Betula utilis other than
bamboo leaves and shoots might be a survival approach to remain resilient in unfavorable circumstances.
A similar study conducted in eastern and central Nepal showed the forests dominated by Betula utilis, Rhododendron spp., and Abies spp. with bamboo in the understory to be the
most preferable plant species by the Himalayan Red Panda (Bista
& Paudel 2013; Bista et
al. 2017).
The average relative
abundance (ER= 0.92 signs/km) of Himalayan Red Panda scats were found lower
than the Taplejung District of eastern Nepal where an
average ER was observed to be 1.36 signs/km (Lama 2019). This might be due to profligate propagation
of the shrub layer and ground layer that had reduced the detection rate of
indirect signs (Hemami & Dolmen 2005). On the contrary, Bista
et al. (2017) detected comparatively lower encounter of 0.36 signs/km in Rasuwa District of central Nepal. The length of transect covered during the
survey might not be precise enough due to inaccessible geographical terrain,
which might have resulted in the varied relative abundance of Himalayan Red
Panda signs in the study area. Besides,
environmental factors such as precipitation, temperature, humidity, and wind
can affect the detection rate of indirect signs during wildlife surveys. For instance, heavy precipitation probably
degrades or takes away scats from the landscape over time (Reed et al. 2011).
Prior studies have
suggested that fallen logs are an important habitat component for the Himalayan
Red Panda (Wei et al. 2000; Pradhan et al. 2001) and could benefit the foraging
strategy of this species. In accordance
with the requirement of a nutritive diet, the Himalayan Red Panda changes the
defecation substrate seasonally (Willliams
2003). For instance, defecations mostly
take place on the forest floor throughout the growth season of bamboo shoots
(Thapa et al. 2020). Similarly, this
study discovered trees as the most commonly used defecation substrate. Likewise, Bista et
al. (2017) observed similar results where 62.21% of total substrates recorded
were the branches of the tree.
The increasing
dependency of locals on forest resources has rapidly caused the Himalayan Red
Panda habitat loss and fragmentation.
Like eastern parts of Nepal, the study area has witnessed excessive
bamboo, fuelwood, and fodder extraction in the core habitat of this species
(Williams 2004). The lack of public
understanding towards Himalayan Red Panda conservation has even escalated the
issues. As a result, poaching and
trafficking have increased at an alarming rate in western Nepal. Recently, Kalikot
District was recognized as a crucial transit hub for the illegal trade of
wildlife parts and medicinal plants (Red Panda Network 2019). Furthermore, unsustainable livestock grazing
activities inside the CFs are causing detrimental impact on the natural
resources and habitat. Panthi et al. (2017) and Lama et al. (2020) reported
overgrazing pressure as one of the significant factors intensifying the effects
of habitat loss and fragmentation. Another challenge to the Himalayan Red
Panda conservation includes forest fires triggered due to the climate crisis
and increasing anthropogenic disturbances.
Slash-and-burn is a common way of cultivating medicinal plants such as Swertia chiraita
particularly in eastern Nepal (Ministry of Forests & Soil Conservation
2015).
Conclusion
Wildlife
photographic evidence is critical for sparking passion and interest among
researchers and policymakers to take steps to help conserve fragile habitats
and ecosystems. Wildlife photographs of
endangered species, are valuable and hold importance in conservation
efforts. This paper documents the first
record (photographs from the wild) of the Himalayan Red Panda from its
westernmost distribution. The Himalayan
Red Panda is exposed to different anthropogenic threats as seen in this study
and reported in others. Therefore, the
Himalayan Red Panda habitat needs to be demarcated into two zones—a core zone
and a buffer zone—in order to reduce human-related disturbances while at the
same time respecting community rights of access to forest resources. This will help to conserve and protect the
westernmost limit of Himalayan Red Panda distribution in the long run. The Himalayan Red Panda’s habitat attributes,
distribution, and food ecology in the study area need to be further researched.
Table 1. Encounter
rate of Himalayan Red Panda in Kalikot District,
Nepal.
|
Community forests |
No. of sign plots |
Transect surveyed
(no) |
Length of transect
(km) |
ER (signs/km) |
|
Himkalika |
6 |
4 |
3.92 |
1.53 |
|
Dimreni |
2 |
2 |
2.4 |
0.83 |
|
Jilli Triveni |
3 |
4 |
3.85 |
0.78 |
|
Gairemela |
1 |
2 |
1.81 |
0.55 |
|
Total |
12 |
12 |
11.98 |
3.69 |
For
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