Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 August 2021 | 13(9): 19254–19262
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6666.13.9.19254-19262
#6666 | Received 04 September 2020 | Final
received 31 July 2021 | Finally accepted 04 August 2021
Photographic evidence of Red
Panda Ailurus fulgens
Cuvier, 1825 from West Kameng and Shi-Yomi
districts of Arunachal Pradesh, India
Moktan Megha
1, Sylvia Christi 2, Rajesh Gopal 3, Mohnish Kapoor
4 & Ridhima Solanki 5
1 WWF-India Darjeeling Field
Office, 13 Kutchery Road, Near Meadow Bank,
Darjeeling, West Bengal 734101, India.
2 WWF-India, Dehradun Programme
Office, 30/9A, Pine Hall School Lane, Rajpur Road,
Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India.
3,4,5 Global Tiger Forum (GTF), E-18,
First Floor, East of Kailash, New Delhi 110065, India.
1 mmoktan@wwfindia.net, 2 cthilagar@wwfindia.net
(corresponding author), 3 rajeshgopal.sg.gtf@gmail.com,
4 mohnish.gtf@gmail.com, 5 ridhimasolankigtf@gmail.com
Abstract: Camera-trap photos of Red Panda Ailurus fulgens
were obtained from three locations in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India during a survey conducted from March to
July 2019. Two of the locations are in West Kameng district
and one location is in Shi-Yomi district (formerly West Siang). These records
are important additions to the currently limited information available for
species distribution in the state, and was gathered as part of a tri-country
study on the status of tiger habitats in high altitude ecosystems of Bhutan,
India, and Nepal.
Keywords: Ailuridae,
camera trap, distribution, habitat, high altitude ecosystem, northeastern
India, traits.
Editor: Anonymity
requested. Date of
publication: 26 August 2021 (online & print)
Citation: Megha,
M., S. Christi, R. Gopal, M. Kapoor & R. Solanki (2021). Photographic evidence of Red
Panda Ailurus fulgens
Cuvier, 1825 from West Kameng and Shi-Yomi districts
of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(9): 19254–19262. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6666.13.9.19254-19262
Copyright: © Megha
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: The study
was conceived by the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) funded
by an IUCN’s
Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation
Programme (ITHCP) through the German Cooperation via KfW Development Bank [Project Number:
ITHCP 1510 HAT Situation Analysis], and co-funded by
World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India) for field surveys conducted in India. Wildlife Institute
of India (WII) and the
National Tiger Conservation Authority
(NTCA) contributed to
design and coordination, while field implementation was carried out by teams of WWF-India
and the Arunachal
Pradesh Forest Department.
Competing interests: The authors
declare no competing interests.
Author details: See end of this article.
Author contributions: MM and CS collated and analysed the camera trap data and wrote the manuscript. RG
and MK conceptualised the tri-country GTF study. RG,
MK and RS provided critical inputs to this manuscript. All authors reviewed the
final manuscript.
Acknowledgements: Authors are highly thankful to
Mr. Ravi Singh, SG & CEO, WWF-India, Dr. Sejal Worah, Dr. Dipankar Ghose, Mr.
Yash Magan Shethia, Dr.
Pranav Chanchani, Ms. Priyadarshinee
Shrestha, Dr. Anupam Sarmah, Mr. Kamal Medhi, Dr. Merwyn Fernandes, Dr. Rishi Kumar Sharma, Dr. Sugoto Roy, and Mr. Bonal Bishan
for providing advisory support and organizational resources. We would like to
thank Dr. K. Ramesh and his team members at the Wildlife Institute of India for
their coordination and technical support. We would like to thank former and
current PCCF & HoFF, CWLW, CCF, CF of Arunachal
Pradesh. We would specially like to thank DCF, Mr. Umesh Kumar, IFS, along with
the divisional forest officers - Mr. Chuku Loma and
Mr. Abhinav Kumar, IFS, Arunachal Pradesh for their support throughout the
exercise and issuing the permission for conducting surveys. We are grateful to
the range officers and the staff of Bomdila Forest
Division, and Along Forest Division, Arunachal Pradesh especially Mr. Marbom Sora. We sincerely appreciate WWF-India’s support
staff, field assistants, interns, and volunteers, especially Mr. Shivam Sharma, Mr. Thejavitso
Chase, Mr. Tashi Kezang,
and Mr. Tape Yorpen for their immense efforts in
handling logistics and for working in difficult field conditions. We are
extremely grateful to everyone who worked with us in Arunachal Pradesh,
enthusiastic people who helped us access difficult terrain, and those who
shared their homes with us, for their kind and generous hospitality. Authors are also thankful to the reviewers
and the managing editor for valuable suggestions that has greatly improved the
content of this manuscript.
Introduction
The Red panda Ailurus
fulgens Cuvier, 1825 is a small carnivorous
mammal with reddish-brown fur, placed under the monotypic family Ailuridae. Red Pandas are predominantly solitary and
arboreal, and feed primarily on bamboo leaves plus seasonal supplements that
include bird eggs, grubs, lichen, acorns, insects, and fruit (Yonzon & Hunter 1991; Choudhury 2001; Pradhan et al.
2001). Red Pandas are most active during the spring and summer-autumn during
the day, and they rest for longer hours during winter as an adaptation to cold
environmental conditions to conserve heat (Zhang et al. 2011). Such traits make
it difficult to locate them during field surveys. Prime Red Panda habitats
occur in temperate forests and bamboo mixed subtropical forests with a high
density of fallen logs, high canopy cover, bamboo & shrub cover, and
relatively steep slopes in close proximity to water sources (Thapa et al.
2018a).
The Red Panda is listed as
‘Endangered’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Glatston
et al. 2015). It is also listed in Appendix I of CITES, a category accorded to
species threatened with extinction and whose trade is prohibited. In India,
they are protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act
(1972) (indiacode.nic.in). Red Panda numbers have been reported to be less than
15,000 in the wild (Wang et al. 2008; Glatston et al.
2015). Red Pandas are threatened due to poaching for their pelts and fur which
is used for various clothing in China and elsewhere (Wei et al. 1999b, Dorji et al. 2012; Glatston et
al. 2015). They are hunted by feral dogs, or get trapped in snares set up for
other animals (Ghose & Dutta 2011; Dorji et al. 2012; Chakraborty et al. 2015). Anthropogenic
pressure, large-scale deforestation, habitat loss, degradation around human
settlements and consequently the expansion of agricultural areas has led to
their decline in China, and these factors are probably applicable to the rest
of the general red panda population (Yonzon &
Hunter 1991; Glatston 1994; Wei et al. 1999b;
Choudhury 2001; Pradhan et al. 2001).
Global distribution of Red Panda
Red Pandas have a narrow range of
occurrence. Their distribution spans from Api Nampa
Conservation Area and Khaptad in western Nepal to
India, Bhutan, Myanmar towards southcentral China of Sichuan and Yunnan
province, encompassing the southern portion of Tibet, with Xiangling
mountains being their easternmost extent (Glatston et
al. 2015). Red Pandas occur in low densities, disjunct ranges, disconnected
populations, and patchy distributions across the Himalaya-Hengduan
mountains biodiversity hotspot (Glatston et al. 2015;
Hu et al. 2020; Thapa et al. 2020).
Their habitat consists of the sub-tropical and temperate forests of the
Himalayan and Hengduan mountains, particularly in
areas consisting of dense bamboo undergrowth (Yonzon
& Hunter 1991; Wei et al. 1999a; Choudhury 2001; Pradhan et al. 2001;
Chakraborty et al. 2015). Two subspecies are recognised,
A. f. fulgens and A. f. styani
west and east of the Nujiang River (Wei et al.
1999b), but a recent genetic study has identified Yalu Zangbu
river as the geographic boundary, delineating the evidence for two
phylogenetically different species and populations of Chinese Red Pandas and
Himalayan Red Pandas (Hu et al. 2020).
Distribution of Red Panda in
India
In India, Red Pandas are found in
the temperate belt of Sikkim, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh at altitudes
ranging from 2,500 m to 5,000 m, and they have also been reported from sub-tropical
Meghalaya at altitudes generally ranging from 1,500 m to 4,800 m, although Red
Panda occurrence has also been recorded at lower elevations (Duckworth 2011; Glatston et al. 2015). The presence of a wild population in
Meghalaya is debated (Duckworth 2011) and recent studies, including wildlife
surveys using camera-traps, have not found evidence of occurrence (Ghose & Dutta 2011; Mukherjee et al. 2019). Kashmira Kakati (pers. comm.
15.v.2020) suggests that the older reports of Red Pandas may have been escaped
or released pets of Nepali immigrants who had settlements in these areas.
Records of Red Panda occurrence
from Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh has around
11,300 km2 of potential Red Panda habitat - the largest habitat in
India, followed by Sikkim and West Bengal (Choudhury 2001; Ghose
& Dutta 2011). As shown in Table 1, moving from west to east Red Pandas
have been recorded in Tawang, West Kameng, East Kameng, Upper Subansiri, Lower Subansiri, Upper
Siang, East Siang, Shi-Yomi (formerly West Siang), Dibang
Valley, Lohit, Anjaw, and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. TRAFFIC’s recent
assessment for this species reported poaching and snaring in West Kameng, Shi-Yomi, Anjaw, and Dibang Valley districts of Arunachal Pradesh (Badola et al. 2020) thereby indicating that the species
occurred in these districts. For the 20 districts surveyed in TRAFFIC’s
assessment, information on illegal trade of Red Panda skin or fur does not
necessarily indicate presence of red panda in those districts unless it was
confirmed as a hunting or poaching incident from the district itself (Merwyn
Fernandes, pers. comm., 29.xii.2020).
An ongoing study and work being
carried out within one of WWF-India’s priority areas known as the Western
Arunachal Landscape (WAL), which spans across Tawang
and West Kameng districts will help furnish
additional information on the status of Red Panda in these areas (Kamal Medhi, pers. comm., 06.v.2020). By mobilizing strong
support from local communities this work has already led to the delineation of
115 km2 as habitat to conserve the Red Panda in West Kameng district. This area forms part of Mandala-Phudung-Khellong
community-conserved area in the West Kameng district
of Arunachal Pradesh (Chauhan 2019).
The state of Arunachal Pradesh is
located in the eastern Himalaya and lies in a transition zone (Mani 1974;
Rodgers & Panwar 1988) between the Himalayan (CEPF Ecosystem Profile 2005),
and Indo-Burmese biodiversity hotspots (Myers et al. 2000) in India. Arunachal
Pradesh along with other northeastern states of India
is experiencing large-scale changes in land use and land cover due to shifting
cultivation, illegal deforestation and indiscriminate felling of trees, which
ultimately contributes to degradation of natural ecosystems (Roy & Tomar 2000; Tripathi et al. 2016). This state is
experiencing rapid infrastructure economic developments on an unprecedented
scale (Rahman 2014), and the trajectory of this development varies within the
districts of Arunachal Pradesh (Sharma & Chakraborty 2016). The tourism
potential of Arunachal Pradesh can provide stable economic and employment
opportunities across the state (CES 2013). These developments invariably
contribute to loss of forest cover and habitat degradation amidst
socio-economic development of Arunachal Pradesh in the present time. According
to India’s State of Forest report Arunachal Pradesh has been experiencing
habitat degradation and loss of forest cover over the years (FSI, State of
Forest 2019).
Most of the land in Arunachal
Pradesh has been under the traditional ownership of communities since decades.
Such forests under community governance are called unclassed forests, which
form 60% of the state’s forest cover (FSI, State of Forest 2019). A recent
study on the habitat suitability of the region for Red Pandas also identifies
large portions of viable red panda habitat outside protected areas (Thapa et
al. 2018b). The three locations where red pandas were recorded during this
study are located within such unclassed forests. Habitat degradation and
habitat loss have been major threats to Red Panda populations historically (Yonzon & Hunter 1991; Wei et al. 1999b; Pradhan et al.
2001), and this trend seemingly has not changed over the years.
Study
Area and Methods
The Red Panda photographs were
obtained during a larger study on the status of tiger habitats in high-altitude
ecosystems of Bhutan, India, and Nepal (Global Tiger Forum 2019) with the
objective to strengthen tiger conservation in high-altitude habitats in these
three countries. For this study, literature review, questionnaire surveys, sign
surveys, and camera trapping were conducted primarily in order to determine
tiger presence across the study area. In India, the field surveys were
conducted across the four states of Uttarakhand, Sikkim, northern West Bengal
and Arunachal Pradesh from March 2019 to July 2019. The entire study area of
38,915km2 in India was overlaid with 25km2 grids.
Specific forest divisions in all four states were identified for field surveys
through workshops and consultations with the state forest departments during
the early stages of this study.
In Arunachal Pradesh, as part of
the larger study, seven administrative districts consisting of a total of 13
forest divisions (territorial and wildlife divisions) were surveyed.
Questionnaire responses were received for 215 grids (of 25km2 each)
whereas sign surveys were carried out for a total length of 181 km covering 62
grids (of 25 km2 each); each sign survey trail was 3 to 5 km in
length. Camera traps were deployed in 47 grids (of 25km2 each); with
two pairs of cameras (4 cameras in total) placed in each 25km2 grid.
Results
We report here three locations in
Arunachal Pradesh (Figure 1) where Red Pandas were recorded through camera-trap
photo captures. A total of three photographs of Red Pandas in India were
obtained from this study.
During May–June 2019, camera trap
photographs of Red Pandas ‘thungmodongkar’ (Mon
language, with different local dialects) were obtained from two locations in
the Dirang range of Bomdila
Forest Division; one on the Jantsangpo trail (at
27.330 N, 92.158 E, 3,352 m altitude, Image 1), and the other along the Kishusegep trail (at 27.350 N, 92.183 E, 3,278 m altitude,
Image 2). The survey team found red panda scat on the Kishusegep
trail, and there was a rocky stream present along the Jantsangpo
trail. Both of these locations are around the Lubrang
village of West Kameng district. Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjack
and Yellow-throated Marten Martes flavigula were also photographed at the Red Panda Ailurus fulgens
trap locations. This area predominantly
consisted of different Bamboo sp., Quercus sp., Acer sp., and Castanopsis sp., as part of the vegetation of
temperate broad leaved forests.
In June 2019, a Red Panda ‘kopuling’ (Adi language, with different local dialects) was
photographed (at 28.747 N, 94.317 E, 2,478 m altitude, Image 3), at an
approximate aerial distance of 1.5 km from Karle village in the Udu Yingbe locality, on the hilly
route from Karle to Tayong. This village is part of
the Mechuka range (also spelt Menchukha)
of Along Forest Division, in the Shi-Yomi district. Wild Boar Sus scrofa, Mithun / Gayal Bos frontalis, Kalij
Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos,
humans, cattle, and domestic dogs were also photographed along with the Red
Panda at this location. There was a stream running along the trail. The
vegetation type consisted of temperate broad leave forest species dominated by
Bamboo sp., Quercus sp., Castonopsis
echinocarpa (‘Hirang’
in local dialect), and Rhus semialata or R. chinensis
(‘Taam’ in local dialect). Upon enquiry by the team
member who surveyed the area, the local guide reported human use of these habitats
on a regular basis in the form of logging of wood and Bamboo using motorized
saw, or manually using axes (locally known as ‘daav’),
typically used for local distribution.
The first record of red panda
from the Monigong area (Shi-Yomi District) was its
sighting on an oak tree along a steep hillside in the year 1999 (Ghose & Dutta 2011). Monigong
is the last village of Arunachal Pradesh on this front - towards the
Indo-Chinese border, and hence a landmark village, due to which these hilly
ranges are known as Monigong hills or Monigong area. The hills surrounding Karle, Tayong and Jorang villages which
are located near Monigong village were surveyed
during this study. This photograph of the Red Panda is the second record from
the hills of Monigong area, obtained near Karle
village, Shi-Yomi district in Arunachal Pradesh.
Discussion
The photographic evidence of Red
Panda obtained through this study from three locations in Arunachal Pradesh
confirms the presence of this species near Lubrang
village (Bomdila Forest Division, West Kameng district, Western Arunachal Pradesh) and Karle village
(Along Forest Division, Shi-Yomi district, formerly West Siang, central-eastern
Arunachal Pradesh). This is the first photographic and hence confirmatory
evidence of red panda presence near Karle village, in Shi-Yomi district of
Arunachal Pradesh. These locations are part of the unclassed forests of
Arunachal Pradesh, and are managed by the State Forest Department
administratively as Forest Divisions.
Habitat suitability analysis
predicts that Eastern Arunachal Pradesh harbours more suitable habitat for red
pandas as compared to Western Arunachal Pradesh (Thapa et al. 2018b). While the
Pangchen valley in Tawang
district and the Chug valley in West Kameng district
of Western Arunachal Pradesh have received some focus for community-based
conservation efforts for Red Pandas (Srivastava & Dutta 2010; Chakraborty
et al. 2015) districts in central and eastern Arunachal Pradesh have received
less focus and there is very limited information available beyond the
historical survey reports mentioned in Table 1.
Red Pandas are habitat
specialists (Yonzon & Hunter 1991; Pradhan et al.
2001). In Bhutan their presence most often overlaps with the rural human
population which is undergoing rapid socio-economic development (Dorji et al. 2012). Site-specific habitat degradation in
high-altitude areas of Arunachal Pradesh probably occur due to anthropogenic
disturbance in relation to firewood collection (mostly Rhododendron sp.)
and unregulated grazing by local communities (Kalita
& Khan 2013; Dutta et al. 2013; Paul et al. 2019). As observed in this
study, site-specific habitat degradation is prevalent and such anthropogenic
activity overlap with red panda habitat seems to be the case for some areas of
Arunachal Pradesh as well.
It seems that Red Pandas have
persevered in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh, but information on the
population status and trends are lacking. Hunting by the local tribals in Arunachal typically has its roots in the need
for basic subsistence, trade and commerce, and also for customary, religious and
cultural practices (Aiyadurai et al. 2010; Selvan et
al. 2013). Even though hunting is prevalent in many regions of Arunachal
Pradesh, the hunting of Red Pandas has seldom come to light (Choudhury 2001; Aiyadurai et al. 2010; Srivastava & Dutta 2010). Encountering
Red Panda is considered a good omen as per traditional beliefs in Arunachal
(Janaki et al. 2020). There are very few records of illegal trading and limited
demand of Red Panda parts from recent years (Badola
et al. 2020). Enquiries regarding the presence of red panda in the survey
locations of the current study did not indicate hunting as a threat. During the
field survey, interaction with local people suggested that sightings of the Red
Panda had become rare over time (Christi Sylvia pers. comm., 06.v.2020). This
could be attributed to site-specific habitat disturbances, especially due to
people’s subsistence-related dependence on Bamboo vegetation and surrounding
habitats. An intensive state-wide assessment for the population of Red Panda
which could also uncover potentially connected or isolated habitats such as the
ones identified by this study is recommended.
There is a stark difference in
socio economic development of the West Kameng
district of western Arunachal Pradesh and Shi-Yomi district that lies in
central-eastern Arunachal Pradesh. The West Kameng
district has many popular tourist destinations. But within Shi-Yomi district,
while the Mechuka village and its hilly ranges are a
popular nature and culture-based tourist destination with an economy driven by
beautiful homestays, the Monigong village and its
hilly ranges on the other hand lacks basic infrastructure, although it harbours
the same scenic surroundings. The locals of this area rely on the surrounding
forests for subsistence and most of them currently work as daily wagers
labouring to build roads in this region. As observed during the study period,
most large-scale infrastructure work in this region pertained to developing the
linear infrastructure – the highways and roads. However, interaction with local
people suggested a dire need for developing this remote region further (Christi
Sylvia, pers. comm., 06.v.2020).
While development is inevitable
and even necessary to a certain extent, largely to improve the livelihood of
the marginalised communities of Arunachal Pradesh; nevertheless,
grassroots-scaled, community-based conservation work and sustainable tourism
initiatives that limit habitat destruction are recommended. Inclusive
conservation has proved effective in Arunachal Pradesh time and again (Athreya 2006; Dutta et al. 2012; Rane
& Datta 2015). Managerial interventions for
maintaining high-altitude habitat biodiversity in the state as well as
maintenance of community-owned forests is important for securing the in situ
conservation of Red Panda, with benefits to communities for their stewardship
under payment for ecosystem services (PES). This may also be complemented by ex
situ conservation efforts for Red Panda, with an aim for their future
re-introduction into wild habitats.
Community stewardship is crucial
to promote the existence of a peculiar species like the Red Panda that thrives
on bamboo, a flora on which dependency of the people of Arunachal Pradesh is
also high. Inclusive conservation could ensure the continued persistence of
this species in this state that boasts of the largest Red Panda habitat in
India.
Table 1. District-wise presence
of Red Panda reported in Arunachal Pradesh.
|
District of Arunachal Pradesh |
Type of Records |
Source |
|
Tawang |
Kills recorded as part of field
interview surveys with communities, known to be traded locally. |
Mishra et al. 2006 |
|
|
Sightings on 4 occasions
between 1990 to 1997, skin being sold in Tawang
market till 1998. |
Ghose & Dutta 2011 |
|
|
At Pangchen
valley through direct sightings, droppings, and feeding signs as part of a
field survey. |
Chakraborty et al. 2015 |
|
|
Interview and field surveys. |
Choudhury 2001 |
|
West Kameng
|
Kills recorded as part of field
interview surveys with communities, known to be traded locally. |
Mishra et al. 2006 |
|
|
Pelt shown as stuffed toy in
market area. |
Badola et al. 2020 |
|
|
Mandla-Phudung,
directly through sightings, kills, carcasses) and indirectly through evidence
of scats, pugmarks, scratch marks, pelts and secondary information confirmed
by the local communities; Nyukmadung, Ramacamp, Ramalingam camp, Chaku,
Bompu, Sundarview, Nafra in the 1980s; Eagle Nest Pass and Dirang in 1990s. |
Ghose & Dutta 2011 |
|
|
Multiple live sightings,
droppings, and reports of hunting red pandas between 1980 to 2000. |
Srivastava & Dutta 2010 |
|
|
Two photographs obtained in
2019 as mentioned in the current paper; in the vicinity of Lubrang village. |
Global Tiger Forum 2019
(details outlined in the current paper). |
|
|
Photographed at Chug Valley. |
Choudhury 2020,
Tribuneindia.com, 2 October 2020 |
|
|
Presence indicated through
interviews and field surveys in Sessa Orchid Sanctuary, Eagle Nest Wildlife
Sanctuary. |
Choudhury 2001 |
|
East Kameng |
A record of one individual
killed in 1999. |
Ghose & Dutta 2011 |
|
|
Interview and field surveys. |
Choudhury 2001 |
|
Upper Subansiri |
Interview and field surveys. |
Choudhury 2001 |
|
Lower Subansiri |
One individual rescued near Kebi village. |
Business-standard.com, 29
February 2016 |
|
|
Presence indicated through
interviews and field surveys in Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. |
Choudhury 2001 |
|
Upper Siang |
Interview and field surveys. |
Choudhury 2001 |
|
|
Presence indicated through
interviews and field surveys in Mouling National
Park. |
Choudhury 2001 |
|
East Siang |
Interview and field surveys. |
Choudhury 2001 |
|
Shi-Yomi (formerly West Siang) |
One sighting record and one
kill record, Monigong area. |
Ghose & Dutta 2011 |
|
|
One photograph obtained in 2019
as mentioned in the current paper; in the vicinity of Karle village. |
Global Tiger Forum 2019
(details outlined in the current paper) |
|
|
Pelt found in market area. |
Badola et al. 2020 |
|
Dibang Valley |
One kill, one skin and a live
sighting record. |
Ghose & Dutta 2011 |
|
|
Hunting recorded. |
Sharma 2017 |
|
|
Pelt recorded during survey. |
Badola et al. 2020 |
|
|
Presence indicated through
interviews and field surveys in Dibang Valley
Wildlife Sanctuary, Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary. |
Choudhury 2001 |
|
Lohit |
Two sighting records, one in
1984, and another of 8 individuals in 1992. |
Ghose & Dutta 2011 |
|
|
Presence indicated through
interviews and field surveys in Kamlang Wildlife
Sanctuary. |
Choudhury 2001 |
|
Anjaw |
One poaching incident recorded. |
Badola et al. 2020 |
|
Changlang |
Presence indicated in Namdapha Tiger Reserve. |
Ghosh 1985 |
|
|
Interviews and field surveys. |
Choudhury 2001 |
For
figure & images - - click here
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