Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2024 | 16(12): 26291–26295
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9232.16.12.26291-26295
#9232 | Received 22 June 2024 | Final received
18 October 2024 | Finally accepted 19 November 2024
A rare low elevation
photographic record of Himalayan Serow Capricornis sumatraensis
ssp. thar (Hodgson, 1831) from Nameri National Park, Assam, India
B. Piraisoodan 1, Asish
Immanuel Baglary 2, Saumitro
Das 3 & Debasish Buragohain 4
1–4 Office of the
Divisional Forest Officer cum Field Director, Nameri
Tiger Reserve, Tezpur, Assam 784027, India.
1 fd.nameritr@gmail.com,
2 research.nameritr@gmail.com (corresponding author), 3 acf1.wawl@gmail.com,
4 rfo.nameri@gmail.com
Editor: Karan Bahadur Shah, Budhanilakantha
Municipality, Kathmandu Nepal. Date of publication: 26
December 2024 (online & print)
Citation: Piraisoodan, B., A.I. Baglary,
S. Das & D. Buragohain (2024). A rare low elevation photographic record of
Himalayan Serow Capricornis
sumatraensis ssp. thar
(Hodgson, 1831) from Nameri National Park, Assam,
India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(12):
26291–26295. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9232.16.12.26291-26295
Copyright: © Piraisoodan et al. 2024. 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: CSS – Project Tiger and Elephant.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: We would like to
express our sincere gratitude to the special chief secretary (Forest) Assam,
the PCCF & HoFF, Assam, and PCCF (WL) & CWLW,
Assam, for their unwavering support to Nameri Tiger
Reserve during the camera trap survey. We would also like to acknowledge NTCA
for their support and assistance. Lastly, we extend our heartfelt appreciation
to the forest frontline staff of Nameri National
Park, for their dedication in safeguarding and documenting the wildlife of the
park.
Abstract: The Himalayan Serow Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. thar
is predominantly found in middle regions of the Himalaya. During the Phase IV
camera trapping protocol for 2023–24, a single sighting of this species was
recorded at an unprecedented low elevation of 110 m in Nameri
National Park, Assam, India. This sighting marks the first recorded presence of
the Himalayan Serow in Nameri
National Park. The discovery suggests potential habitat flexibility and raises
questions about the species’ ecological adaptability, with important
implications for its conservation.
Keywords: Deo Sagoli, disturbance-induced displacement, ecological
adaptability, phase IV camera trapping, semi-evergreen forest.
The Himalayan Serow Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. thar
is a medium-sized, goat-like ungulate species belonging to the Bovidae family and Caprinae
subfamily. Typically, it inhabits the moderately sloped terrains of the
Himalaya, known for its elusive nature and adaptability to mountainous
environments. The Serow plays a significant role in
its ecosystem, serving as a prey base for carnivores such as the Indian Leopard
Panthera pardus fusca and the Bengal Tiger Panthera
tigris tigris (Phan et
al. 2012; Deka et al. 2021).
Although the Mainland
Serow Capricornis
sumatraensis has a wide geographic range across
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam (Phan et al. 2020), the subspecies Capricornis sumatraensis
ssp. thar is restricted to the Himalayan
region (Mori et al. 2019). In India, it is found from Jammu and Kashmir to
eastern Arunachal Pradesh, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar,
Sikkim, and Assam (Choudhury 2003; Sathyakumar et al.
2013; Pawar et al. 2018; Targe
et al. 2023; Safi & Maurya 2024).
Historically, in
Assam, the species has been recorded in the hilly regions on the northern bank
of the Brahmaputra River, in districts such as Kokrajhar,
Chirang, Baksa, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, and Dhemaji.
It is locally known as “Deo Sagoli” in Assamese.
Typically, the serow inhabits mountain slopes, gorges
and valleys, temperate coniferous forests, and broadleaved forests at altitudes
ranging 100–4,000 m, generally preferring 2,500–3,500 m (Jnawali
et al. 2011; Paudel et al. 2015).
Increased deforestation,
habitat fragmentation, subsistence hunting, incompatible land use changes, and
increased livestock grazing pose significant threats to the species (Phan et
al. 2020). The Himalayan Serow is listed in “Schedule
I” of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended), in Appendix I of CITES,
and classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN Red List (Phan et al. 2020).
Reliable data on its distribution and population status, however, are scarce,
making it challenging to develop effective conservation action plans. Recent
shifts in habitat use and sightings at lower elevations are noteworthy and
warrant further investigation.
Materials and Method
Nameri National Park (NNP) is located in the foothills of
the eastern Himalayas and is contiguous with Pakke
Tiger Reserve to the north and north-east. It is bounded by the Jia Bhorali River to the west and the Bor
Dikorai River to the east. The NNP spans across 200
km² with altitudes ranging 36–321 m. It comprises tropical evergreen,
semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forests, with patches of bamboo and cane.
Grasslands constitute less than 10% of the area, whereas semi-evergreen and
moist deciduous forests dominate (Das & Deori
2011). The region is rich in faunal diversity, harbouring
over 40 mammalian species, more than 400 species of bird, and over 40 species
of herpetofauna. It is also designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) under A1
and A2 categories.
As part of the Phase
IV Protocol of the National Tiger Conservation Authority for 2023-24, 196
camera traps were deployed in 98 trap stations within Nameri
National Park with a sampling effort (n = 30) from 2 February to 2 March, 2024. Each trail camera (Cuddeback
X‑Change Color Model
1279) was positioned in a fabricated camera trap holder at a height of approximately
30–45 cm above the ground. The cameras were placed to face each other in 2 km²
grids (Figure 1).
Results
The Himalayan Serow was recorded in Tiger grid no. 37 with one adult
individual’s photo-capture instance on 19 February 2024 at 0715 h (Table 1). It
is likely that the individual was grazing or searching for water in the
vicinity. The area comprised of moist deciduous, semi- evergreen patches mostly
comprising of Magnolia hodgsonii, Dillenia indica, Premna bengalensis,
Bridelia retusa,
Litsea monopetala,
Dysoxylum binectariferum,
Amoora wallichi,
Magnolia oblonga, Stereospermum
chelonoides, Mallotus
nudiflorus, Castanopsis
indica, Pterospermum
acerifolium, Morus
laevigata, Cinnamomum glanduliferum, Tetrameles
nudiflora, and Duabanga
grandiflora (Image 1). The location is proximity to a branch of river Jia Bhorali with an alluvial grassland patch comprising of Saccharum spontaneum,
Tamarix dioica,
and Alpinia nigra.
Vegetation analysis revealed a diverse composition supporting the presence of
multiple ungulate species. Predatory species such as the Indian Leopard and the
Royal Bengal tiger were also photo-captured at the same trap location, along
with other ungulate species such as Barking Deer Muntiacus
muntjac and Sambar Rusa unicolor,
demonstrating sympatric habitat usage (Image 2). This is the first recorded
sighting of the Himalayan Serow in Nameri National Park at 110 m (Figure 2).
Discussion
The presence of the
Himalayan Serow at such a low elevation, with recent
records from Manas (Deka et al. 2021), Valmiki (Safi
& Maurya 2024), and now Nameri,
is unusual and may be attributed to several factors:
Habitat adaptability:
the Serow may exhibit greater habitat flexibility
than previously understood, allowing it to exploit lower elevation
environments.
Seasonal migration:
the sighting could be part of a seasonal migration pattern, possibly in
response to climatic variations or resource availability.
Disturbance-induced
displacement: increased human activities and habitat disturbances at higher
elevations might have driven the Serow to seek refuge
in lower, less disturbed areas.
Similar shifts in
habitat use have been documented in other ungulate species, indicating a
potential adaptive response to environmental changes. These findings suggest
that the Serow’s ecological niche may be broader than
traditionally perceived. Given the limited literature available, it is crucial
to study its behaviour, ecology, population, and
distribution status in relation to global climate change threats before the
risk of regional extinction arises.
Table 1.
Details of Himalayan Serow photo captured in Nameri National Park.
|
|
Particulars |
Description |
|
1. |
Tiger grid number |
37 |
|
2. |
Camera ID |
C037B |
|
3. |
Location |
26.993333°N,
92.783408°E |
|
4. |
Elevation |
110 m |
|
5. |
Habitat type |
Woodland |
|
6. |
Distance to river |
250 m |
|
7. |
Distance to nearest
human settlement |
490 m |
|
8. |
Date & time of
capture |
19 February 2024 at
0715 h |
|
9. |
Predatory species
captured in the same camera trap |
Panthera pardus fusca, Panthera tigris tigris |
|
10 |
Sympatric species
captured in the same camera trap |
Muntiacus muntjac, Rusa unicolor |
For
figures & images - - click here for full PDF
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