Small Carnivores of Karnataka: Distribution and Sight Records

2007·4.3 MB·

by  H N Kumara

Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 104 (2), May-Aug 2007 153-160
SMALL CARNIVORES OF KARNATAKA: DISTRIBUTION AND SIGHT RECORDS
1
H.N. Kumara23and Mewa Singh2,4
'Accepted November 2006
2Biopsychology Laboratory, University of Mysore, Mysore 570 006, Karnataka, India.
3Email: [email protected]
4Email: [email protected]
DuringastudyfromNovember2001 toJuly2004onecologyandstatusofwildmammalsinKarnataka,wesighted 143
animals belonging to 11 species of small carnivores of about 17 species that are expected to occur in the state of
Karnataka,The sighted species included LeopardCat, Rustyspotted Cat, Jungle Cat, Small IndianCivet,Asian Palm
Civet, Brown PalmCivet,Common Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose, Stripe-neckedMongoose and unidentifiedspecies
ofOtters.MalabarCivet,FishingCat, BrownMongoose,Nilgiri Marten,andRatelwerenotsightedduringthisstudy.
The Western Ghats alone account forthirteen species ofsmall carnivores ofwhich six are endemic. The sighting of
Rustyspotted Cat is the first report from Karnataka. Habitat loss and hunting are the major threats for the small
carnivoresurvivalinnature.TheSmallIndianCivetisexploitedforcommercialpurpose.Huntingtechniquevariesfrom
gunstospeciallydevisedtraps,andhuntingofall thesmallcarnivorespeciesiscommonintheState.
Keywords: Felidae,Viverridae,Herpestidae,Mustelidae, Karnataka,threats
INTRODUCTION (Mukherjee 1989; Mudappa 2001; Rajamani et al. 2003;
Mukherjeeetal. 2004). Otherthanthesestudies, mostofthe
Mammals of the families Felidae, Viverridae, informationontheseanimalscomesfromanecdotesorsight
Herpestidae, Mustelidae and Procyonidae are generally records, which no doubt, have significantly contributed in
called small carnivores. This category excludes Family understanding the distribution and comparative status of
Canidae.About 37 species ofsmall carnivores are reported thesespecies.Wehaveattemptedtogatherbasicinformation
from India. They belong to the families Felidae (cats), on the distribution of small carnivores through direct
Viverridae (civets, linsangs and binturong), Herpestidae sightings, and from secondary sources in Karnataka. Each
(mongooses), Procyonidae (Red Panda) and Mustelidae species being elusive requires a long-term investigation,
(otters,martens,weasels, andbadgers). Karnatakastatemay even to learn its distribution and basic biology. What is
have 16 to17 species of small carnivores, being a highly presented in this paper, therefore, is an updated review
diversegroupofmammals. based on previous information, and data from the present
Smallcarnivoresoccupy avariety ofhabitatsranging study.
from dry plains, thick evergreen forests to coastal plains.
However, in Karnataka most species are restricted to the STUDYSITE
forestsoftheWesternGhats.They play an important roleas
pestcontrollers,preybaseformanyanimals, seeddispersers Karnataka State is located between 1 1° 31'-18°45' N
andpollinators.Someofthemarealsoknowntokilldomestic and74° 12'-78°40'Ewithatotalareaof1,91,791 sq.km.The
mm
chickens, andhencetheyareconsideredpests. Mostspecies Statereceivesrainfall between450and7,500 annually,
have similar food habits, feeding mostly on invertebrates, withameanrainfallof1,975mm. Karnatakahasbeendivided
amphibians,reptiles,birdsandsmallmammals.Althoughthey into four biogeographical zones, these include Coastal
are called carnivores, some ofthem also feed on fruits and Karnatakawithmangroveforests, HillRegion (theWestern
seeds.Manyofthemarenocturnalinhabit,solitaryinnature, Ghats) with rainforests and moist deciduous forests.
smallinbodysizeandoccupyhabitatswiththickvegetation. Southern Plateau and Northern Plains with deciduous
Suchcrypticnatureoftheseanimalsmadeitdifficulttostudy forests, scrub forests and open grasslands (Prasad et al.
them, andas aresult, weknow little about them. 1978;Karanth 1986).
There are no detailed studies from Karnataka on any
METHODS
aspectofsmallcarnivores. Thisistruealsoforotherregions
ofIndia, as well as other parts ofthe world. However, few
studies have been initiated in recent years to document the ThepresentstudywascarriedoutfromNovember2001
ecological aspects of these species in peninsular India toDecember2006 as apartofalargerstudy on mammalsin
SMALL CARNIVORES OF KARNATAKA
Fig. 1: MapofKarnatakawithsomelocalitiesmentionedinthetext
Karnataka.Duringthisperiod,wetravelledc.30,000kmacross White 1999)ofatotal of 1,808kmduringday and 1,096km
different talukas* ofall districts* * ofthe State. During these during night. The day survey was made from 0600 hrs,
visits, we gathered secondary information on occurrence of covering about 5 km/day at 0.8 km/hr, on both pre-existing
species in the past, present status of the species, hunting trails and new routes. A pedometer recorded the distance
practices inthe region, man-animalconflict andpressure on walked. The routes were laid throughdifferentforesttypes.
wildlife by talking to the locals (especially elders), hunters, The direct evidence oftraps and snares, animal remains left
shepherds and forest personnel. by hunters, hunting camps and presence of hunters was
Apart from this, we also conducted a vehicular road recorded in order to assess the biotic pressures. The night
survey of9,853 km in different forests. On the basis ofthe survey was done on foot and in vehicles; we walked after
informationfromsecondarydata,literature,foresttypesand 2000hrsonpre-existingtrailsatthespeedof0.5km/hr,flashing
forest status, we selected a few sites for intensive study. In light on both sides ofthe trail. During the vehicular survey, a
those selected sites, we made ‘Reeky Walks’ (Walsh and researchersatatopajeepmovingataspeedof5to 10km/hrand
flashed light connected to the jeep battery. Whenever an
Ataluka is arevenuejurisdictional unitofabout 1000sq. km. animal was spotted and its identity was doubtful, it was
1 ADistrictisarevenuejurisdictional unitofeighttotwelve talukas. approached as close as possible and a ImillionCP spotlight
154 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007
44444
SMALL CARNIVORES OF KARNATAKA
was flashed. The details on the methods adopted for data duringthissurvey:fiveinSharavathiValleyWildlifeSanctuary,
collection on hunting practices are published elsewhere twoeach in BandipurNationalParkandTalakavari Wildlife
(KumaraandSingh2004). Sanctuary, and one each in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
andinacoffeeestateinVirajpetadjacenttoBrahmagiriWildlife
OBSERVATIONS SanctuaryinKodagudistrict(Fig. 1).Theanimalinthecoffee
estate was seen amongbushes, along the fence ofthe estate.
Table presents a summary of the information on The local information revealed that Leopard Cats are quite
1
different species regarding their IUCN status (IUCN 2003), common in Kodagu. The species isfoundtooccuralong the
placeinvariousSchedulesoftheIndianWildlife(Protection) forests of the Western Ghats, and also adjacent deciduous
Act 1972, and the type ofhabitat inhabited by each species. forests.Noinformationwasavailablefromthedrierplainsof
We sighted a total of 143 animals of 1 1 species of small the State. It has also been sighted on the fringes ofa coffee
carnivores in the State during the present study (Table 2). estateadjacenttoBhadraWildlifeSanctuaryinChikmagalur
(Narsimha, pers. comm.). Leopard Cats have often been
FamilyFelidae recorded in evergreen forests and adjacent croplands in
Fourspeciesofsmallcats-LeopardCat(Prionailurus Kalakkad-MundanthuraiTigerReserve(Mudappa2002)and
bengalensis), RustyspottedCat(P. rubiginosus). FishingCat IndiraGandhiWildlifeSanctuary(Kumaretal.2002).
(P. viverrinus)andJungleCat(Felischans)-areexpectedto Rustyspotted Cat:WesightedthreeRustyspottedCats
be present in the State. The Jungle Cat is the largest, while during the study period. One animal was sighted in Nugu,
theRustyspottedCatisthesmallestweighing 1-2kg(Nowell oneinBandipurNational ParkandoneinSiraofTumkur.The
and Jackson 1996). Jungle Cat has the widest distribution sighting in Nugu was at 1950 hrs, on a fig tree Ficus
(
globally; Fishingand Leopard cats are distributed in several bengalensis) at aheight ofabout 5 m, the tree was 16 m tall.
SoutheastAsian countries, and Rustyspotted Cat isendemic Becauseofthedisturbancecausedbyourpresence,theanimal
toIndiaandSriLanka(Nowell andJackson 1996). moved to an open areaandbecamecompletely visible tous.
Leopard Cat; It has been reported to occur in some Wewatchedtheanimalforabout20minutes.Thewhiteventral
reserves of Karnataka (Karanth 1986), on the basis of portions were dotted with black spots. The dorsal gray hair
secondaryinformation.Atotalofelevenanimalsweresighted withareddishtinge hadrusty spots, andthetail was without
Table1:OfficialstatusanddistributionofsmallcarnivoresofKarnataka
Family Commonname Scientificname IWPAStatus IUCNRedListstatus Distribution
Felidae Leopardcat Prionailurus bengalensis 1,2,3?
1
Felidae Rustyspottedcat Prionailurus rubiginosus 1 VU 2?,3,
Felidae Fishingcat Prionailurusviverrinus VU 1?
1
Felidae Junglecat Felis chaus II 1,2,3,
Viverridae Malabarcivet Viverriacivettina CR 1?
1
Viverridae SmallIndiancivet Viverricula indica II 1,2,3,
Viverridae Asianpalmcivet Paradoxurushermaphroditus II 1,2,3,
Viverridae Brownpalmcivet Paradoxurusjerdoni II VU 1
Flerpestidae Commonmongoose Herpestesedwardsii IV 1,2,3,
Herpestidae Ruddymongoose Herpestessmithii IV 2,3,4
Flerpestidae Stripe-neckedmongoose Herpestes vitticollis IV 1,2,3
Herpestidae Brownmongoose Herpestesfuscus IV DD 1
Mustelidae Eurasianotter Lutralutra II ?
Mustelidae Smooth-coatedotter Lutrogaleperspicillata II ?
Mustelidae Small-clawedotter Aonyxcinereus ?
1
Mustelidae Nilgirimarten Martesgwatkinsii II VU 1?
Mustelidae Ratel Mellivoracapensis 1 2?,3,4?
IWPA-IndianWildlife(Protection)Act1972.
lUCN-TheWorldConservationUnion.
1,11andIV-SchedulesInIndianWildlife(Protection)Act.
VU-Vulnerable;CR-CriticallyEndangered;DD-DataDeficient
1-WetforestsoftheWesternGhats(evergreenforest),2-DryforestsadjacenttoWesternGhats(deciduousforests),
3-Dryforestsofsouthernplateau(deciduousforests,includingforestsofEasternGhats),4-Northernplains
?-Noreliableinformation
1 Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007 155
SMALL CARNIVORES OF KARNATAKA
any spots or markings. We identified the animal as pugmarks ofthe species in the forests in theWestern Ghats,
RustyspottedCatandlaterconfirmeditbyreferringtoPrater oneanimalwassightedatPushpagiriWildlifeSanctuary,twice
(1971). The animal was in a tree at the border between the inNugu,fivetimesinTumkur,once in Kolarandonceinthe
Sanctuary andcultivatedcroplands. Theclosest village was ChamundihillnearMysore(Fig. 1).Allsightedanimalswere
abouthalfakilometeraway.Theothersightingatthreeanda adults. Mostsightingswereclosetosome waterbodiesorin
halfkilometersfromSiratownwasataroadsideTamarindtree the croplands.
(Tamarindus indica) at 2330 hrs. It was at a height ofabout
m
2m, thetree wasabout6 tall.Thecatremainedonthetree Viverridae
for about 5 min. It moved to another branch, due to Four species of civets: Malabar Civet (Viverria
disturbance,butremainedtherein spiteofourpresence.The civettina),SmallIndianCivet(Viverriculaindica),AsianPalm
sighting locality was close to human habitation, which is Civet(Paradoxurushermaphroditus),andBrownPalmCivet
adjacent to a reserve forest. The general forest type of the (P.jerdoni)areexpectedtooccurinKarnataka.TheMalabar
region is dry scrub or dry deciduous. The interesting and Brown Palm civets are endemic to the Western Ghats,
observation was that both the sightings were on trees, and whereas the Small Indian andAsian Palm civets have wide
the animals were not unduly disturbed. Rustyspotted cats distribution in South-east Asia.
areknowntobearborealandnocturnal(NowellandJackson Malabar Civet: The species is extremely rare, and is
1996).ThesightinginBandipurNationalParkwasonOctober listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)
11, 2006inBandipurRange at2130hrs. The animal was on Act. We did not sight the animal during the present study.
ground adjacent to bushes and remained there without any The only information available onthis species is ‘apossible
movementforabout 12min. Itlatermovedinsidethebushes. sighting in Kudremukh’ (Karanth 1986).Alatersurvey (Rai
The only published report on the occurrence of and Kumar 1993)alsorevealed a ‘possibilityofoccurrence’
Rustyspotted Cat from southern India was from Andhra alongcertainregionsoftheWesternGhatsinKarnataka.The
Pradesh (Rao et al. 1999) and drier forests of Kalakkad- only evidence ofits occurrence in its distributional range is
MundanthuraiTigerReserveinTamilNadu(Mudappa2002). the recovery oftwo skins from Nilamburin northern Kerala
Mudappa(pers.comm.)alsoreporteditsoccurrencein Indira (Ashraf et al. 1993). According to Rai and Kumar (1993),
Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. Karanth (1986) Malabar Civets probably occur widely in Karnataka due to
considers southern plateau as a nominal distribution range the presence ofextensive lowland forests along theWestern
ofthisspecies,butnosightingoroccurrencewasreportedin Ghats.
Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary (Karanth 1982) and Bandipur Small Indian Civet: TheSmall IndianCivetiswidely
(Karanth 1988). However, the recovery ofone skin from the distributed in Karnataka, and is found to occur in various
outskirts ofBangalorecity was reported.Althoughthere are habitat types. The habitats range from coastal plains to wet
no published sight records, there are few sightings from evergreen forests, deciduous forests, dry scrub and rock
different parts of the State, e.g. the animal was sighted in dominated dry forests. They occurat altitudes ranging from
Chikmagalur (Fig. 1), Kadur and Ranebennur (D.V. Girish, <50 m to 1,400 m above msl. We sighted 13 animals during
pers.comm.).OurreportconfirmsitsoccurrenceinKarnataka. this study, one animal each in Brahmagiri-Makut, Bandipur
FishingCat: Prater(1971)reportedtheFishingCatto National Park and Nugu, five animals in Nagarahole, three
occur in some coastal districts of Karnataka; no recent animals in Tumkur district and one each in Kolar and
sightings are reported from any part ofthe State. Along the Chikmagalurdistricts. The sightings variedfromcropfields
coastal districts, the local informationrevealed no sightings in the drierplains toevergreen forests ofthe Western Ghats.
ofthisspeciesinrecentyears.Eveninthepast,theinformation All sightings were duringnight.
on the species was vague. Karanth (1986) also reported no AsianPalmCivet:AsianPalmCivetisfoundinmostof
reliable information on this species in recent years from the the foresttypes including coast to dry plains, except in high
Westcoast, andhe suspects that the speciescould be locally altitudeevergreenforests.Thespeciesiscapableofadapting
extinct. tovarioushabitats,foresttypes,includinglivingintownships.
JungleCat:Thisisoneofthemostcommonspeciesof They have often been observed to breed in house roofs in
smallcarnivoresfoundtooccurinallthedistrictsoftheState. coastalplainsofUdupi, andalsoindryplains, such as Bidar
They occur at all altitudes ranging from the coast to high districtwithlittleforest.However,theyareveryrareorabsent
altitudes oftheWestern Ghats. Further, they occupy mostof in areas completely bare and without any vegetation. We
the habitat types varying from coastal habitat, evergreen sighted 32 animals during the present study. The sightings
forests oftheWestern Ghats todryplains.We saw scats and included two animals each in Brahmagiri-Makut and Sirsi-
156 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007
)
SMALL CARNIVORES OF KARNATAKA
Honnavara,nineanimalsinNagarahole(Fig. 1),fiveanimals FamilyHerpestidae
in Chamundi hill, three animals each in Sharavathi Valley Four species of Herpestidae: Common Mongoose
Wildlife Sanctuary and Bandipur National Park, and four (Herpestesedwardsii),RuddyMongoose(H. smithii),Stripe-
animalseachinTalakaveriWildlifeSanctuaryandPushpagiri necked mongoose (H. vitticollis), and Brown Mongoose
WildlifeSanctuary.Although 15 animals were sightedin the (H.fuscus areexpectedtooccurinKarnataka.TheCommon
Western Ghatsregion, the sightings were mostlyfrom moist GreymongoosehasawiderangeinIndia,Persia,Mesopotamia
deciduous or deciduous forests. and southwardsto Sri Lanka. The Stripe-neckedand Brown
BrownPalmCivet:BrownPalmCivetsareconsidered mongoosearerestricted totheWesternGhatsandtheRuddy
to be restricted to the evergreen forests and the adjacent Mongoose is restrictedto central and southern India (Prater
forestsoftheWesternGhats,rangingfromBrahmagiri inthe 1971).
southtoKhanapur(Belgaumdistrict)inthenorth. Duringthe CommonMongoose:Itisoneofthecommonanimalsin
present study, we found them to be absent in deciduous the open countryside in India. In Karnataka, they are found
forests adjacent to the Western Ghats. We have not sighted incoastalplains, disturbedevergreen forests anddry plains.
thespeciesinNagaraholein spiteofeveryeffort.Wesighted However, they may be rare or even absent in high altitude
atotalof18animalsindifferentregionsoftheWesternGhats. rain forests. We sighted two animals each in Tumkur, Nugu
ThesightingsweremoreinBrahmagiri-MakutandSharavathi and Chikmagalur, three in Bandipur National Park, four in
ValleyWildlifeSanctuary(5animalseach)followedbySirsi- Mysore,andoneinBangalore(Fig. 1).Inspiteofthevigorous
Honnavara(4animals)andPushpagiri-BisaleandPushpagiri efforts in evergreen forests of the Western Ghats and
Wildlife Sanctuary (2 animals each). Rajamani etal. (2003) deciduousforestsofNagarahole, noanimal was sighted.All
reported high encounter rate of Brown Palm Civet in other the sightings were during the day. We sighted young ones
parts ofthe Western Ghats in Karnataka. All sightings were duringSeptember-October(2003).
duringnightsinevergreenforestsandontrees.Earlier,itwas Ruddy Mongoose: Ruddy Mongoose is absent in
thought that the species is rare in its entire distributional coastal and evergreen forests of the Western Ghats. They
range, but recent studies show that it is quite common occur in dry forests andforests with rocky outcrops, andare
(Mudappa 2001), and is distributed from the southern absentincompletelybarrenareas.Wesightedfiveanimalsin
extremity of the Western Ghats in Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Nagarahole, three in Bandipur National Park, one each in
TigerReserve to Dhud Sagar in Goain the north (Rajamani HasanurforestsinChamarajnagarandSavandurgaforestsin
etal. 2003). Rajamani etal. (2003), based on the specimen MagadiofBangaloredistrict,andsix inDarojiBearSanctuary
collectedbyR.C.MorrisinBombayNatural HistorySociety (Fig. 1) in Bellary district. All sightings were either in the
Museum, considered the species to occur in Biligirirangan morningorintheevening,indryforestsorrockyareas.Animals
Hills near Mysore. However, it needs further investigation wereseeninpairsthrice.Animalsarealsosightedfrequently
sincenoinformationwasfoundonoccurrenceofthisspecies in Bhadra(Narasimha, pers. comm.) andBandipur(Karanth
in these hills during the present study. 1986,1988).
Table2:Sightingsofsmallcarnivorespeciesonlyduringnightwalk
Area kmwalked LeopardCat Rustyspotted JungleCat SmallIndian AsianPalm BrownPalm Nilgiri
Cat Civet Civet Civet Marten
Brahmagiri-Makut 51 1 - - 1 2 5 -
Pushpagiri-Bisale 123 - - - - - 2 -
Sirsi-Honnavara 119 - - - - 2 4 -
Nagarahole 121 - - - 5 9 - -
Nugu 60 - 1 2 1 - - -
Tumkur 105 - 1 5 3 - - -
Bangalore 102 - - - - - - -
Kolar 92 - - 1 1 - - -
ChamundiHillinMysore 22 - - 1 - 5 - -
WS
SharavathiValley 69 5 - - - 3 5 -
PushpagiriWS 32 1 - 1 - 4 2 -
WS
Talakaveri 80 2 - - - 4 - 1
BandipurNP 120 2 1 - 1 3 - -
1 Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007 157
SMALL CARNIVORES OF KARNATAKA
Stripe-necked Mongoose: Stripe-necked Mongoose OtterfromtheBhadraReservoirinShimogadistrict.
occursinevergreenforestsoftheWesternGhatsandadjacent Nilgiri Marten: Nilgiri Marten is endemic to the
dry deciduous forests in the State. We sighted 12 animals in Western Ghats, and is reported from Nilgiris, south Coorg
Nagarahole,fiveinBandipur,andfourinTalakaveriWildlife andTravancore (Prater 1971). During the present study, we
Sanctuary. They have been frequently sighted in Bhadra sightedoneanimalinTalakaveriWildlifeSanctuary.However,
(Narasimha, pers. comm.). All sightings were during the localinformationrevealedthattheNilgiriMartenisstillfound
daytime, especially in the early mornings and late evenings. along the Western Ghats. Earlierthey were present in large
Pairs were sighted four times. It appears that Stripe-necked numbers, but due to the conversion of the forests of the
Mongooseis more common thanothermongoose species in Western Ghats to coffee plantations and honey culture, the
deciduousforests like Nagarahole and Bhadra. intensityofhuntingincreased. Nilgiri Martenswerebelieved
Brown Mongoose: It is a rare species sighted very to raid Bee hives, and hence planters considered them as
infrequently.TherearenosightingrecordsfromKarnatakain pests, and killed them. Even today, people have a tendency
recent years, and they were not sighted during the present to kill martens if they see them. Marten is also hunted for
study too. Karanth (1986) reported the occurrence of the domestic consumption. Although no data are available
species in the Western Ghats and in the southern plateau, regarding its earlier status, the local information revealed
especially in Nagarahole, but we doubt its occurrence in that the populationofNilgiri Marten in Karnatakahas gone
Nagarahole.Theyarerelativelyrareeveninotherpartsofits downdrastically.
distribution inIndia(Mudappa2002). Ratel: Ratel is usually found in plains and lives by
makingaden intheearth. Before 1960s,itwasreportedfrom
FamilyMustelidae somepartsofKolardistrict in Karnataka. However,therehas
Of the Mustelids, Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale beennoinformationduringtherecentdecadesonthisspecies.
(
perspicillata),Small-clawedOtter(Aonyxcinereus),Eurasian Wetalkedwiththepeople,describedtheanimal,andshowed
Otter (Lutra lutra), Nilgiri Marten (Martes gwatkinsi) and its picture, but there was no positive response for the
Ratel (Mellivora capensis are known to occur in the State. occurrenceofthisspeciesfromanypartoftheState.However,
)
Among otters, the Eurasian Otter has a large distribution during 2003, one animal was recovered from 'Sathanuri of
rangingacrossdifferentcontinents,includingEurope,North KanakapuratalukaofBangalore (Rural)district. Theanimal
AfricaandAsia, whereastheothertwospecies arerestricted was found in a shallow well,just outside the village, where
to South-east Asia. The Small-clawed and Eurasian otters cropland and shrub forest is interspersed (Doddalanahalli
usually inhabit high altitude mountain streams, whereas the village). The animal was shifted to Sri Chamarajendra
Smooth-coated Otter inhabits streams and lakes of plains. ZoologicalGarden, Mysore. It survived foronlyafewdays.
Thedistributional rangeofNilgiriMarten isrestrictedtothe Interviewswith the villagersandforestofficialsintherange
Western Ghats, and the Ratel has a wide distribution from revealed no sighting ofthe species in the same locality. The
south-westernAsiatoAfrica(Prater 1971). species is present probably in very low numbers.
Otters: During this study, we encountered otters only
attwositesofCauveryrivernearT.Narasipura(threeanimals) Threats
and at Sangama (one animal). The species could not be Local hunting and habitat loss are the major factors
identifiedwithcertaintyand hencethedistributioncouldnot affectingthestatusanddistributionofsmallcarnivorespecies.
be provided at species level. The otters occur in Bheema, Inaddition,roadnetworkwithbusytrafficinforestareasalso
Krishna, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Tunga, Bhadra, causesmanyroadkillsofsmallmammals(Kumaraetal.2000).
Hemavathi, Kapila, and Cauvery rivers that run east ofthe AlthoughWestern Ghats, where mostofthe small carnivore
Western Ghats, andin theWesternGhats andriversdraining species occur, have been recognized as one ofthe Hotspots
towards west. We noticed large number of scats along the ofWorld Biodiversity (Myersetal. 2000), theattention paid
RiverCauvery and its tributaries, indicating high density of to conserve this region is still not satisfactory. Among such
otters. The rivers draining west from the Ghats in Dakshina biodiversity hotspots. Western Ghats also have high human
Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada also appear to have density(Cincottaetal.2000).MenonandBawa(1997)reported
good population of otters. The local information revealed a 40% loss in forest cover between 1920 and 1990 in the
thatduring the hightide and monsoons, otters are seen even Western Ghats. Such a sharp decline of forests results in
at the coastline; otherwise they are seen at estuaries orjust habitat alteration, degradation ofthe forest and an increase
before the estuaries where the population is continuous innumberofforestfragments. Suchfactorscertainlymakean
towards fresh water. Karanth (1982) reported the Common uncertainfutureforsmallcarnivores.
158 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007
) -
SMALL CARNIVORES OF KARNATAKA
Inadditiontohabitatloss,localhuntinghasmadesmall October,whentheybecomefat. Peoplewhohuntthisspecies
carnivores uncommon in their natural habitats. All small consideritsmeatveryrelishing. Hence,thehuntingpressure
carnivore species are hunted. There are no taboos attached onthisspeciesissevereandpeoplegoonhuntingexpeditions
tohuntingofsuchspeciesinanycommunityorethnicgroup. during the post-monsoon period. Locals also devise special
The hunting or capturing techniques vary between species. traps designed exclusively to capture brown palm civets.
JungleCat,LeopardCat,AsianPalmCivet,mongoosespecies BrownPalmCivetsusuallyusedead woodorexposedrocks
and Nilgiri Marten are hunted for meat throughout their toexcrete,andusefallenwood(especiallyfallenwoodacross
distributionalrangeintheState.Commercialhuntingofthese valleys/streams) to move. The traps are fixed on such fallen
specieshasgoneunnoticedintheState.Commonmongooses wood. Onseveral occasionswefound leftovers, suchas skin
arehuntedfortheirhair,andtheyarealsocapturedtokeepas andbonesafterthehuntingexpeditions. BrownPalmCivets
pets and for use in the local circus orroad shows for snake arealsorecoveredfromthenestsofGiantSquirrels.However,
and-mongoosefights.Thehuntingmethodsvaryfromuseof no commercial trade of this species was observed in
muzzleloadgunstovarioustypesoftraps,dependingon the Karnataka.
access to arms. In some regions of the Western Ghats, especially
Alongthewestcoast,especiallyinDakshinaKannada, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts, people of certain
commercial captive rearing of the Small Indian Civet is communities(Erava,Kuruba,Kodava,Naika)huntotters.The
common. Animals are captured from the forest and they are ottersarecaught innetsfixedinshallowwaters.Traineddogs
kept in specially designed cages. The cage could be of a are used to catch the animal from these nets. Otters are also
circularorarectangularshape withabout 1 m each inradius killed using guns, and retrieved using trained dogs.
and height. Ithas a smooth pole atthe centre, and the rest of
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
itisfixedwithwiremesh.Theanimalsrubtheirglandsonthe
pole anddepositthe secretions. Once the deposition reaches
a certain amount, it is scraped. Each gram ofthis secretion ThisstudywassponsoredbytheDepartmentofScience
costsaroundRs.900toRs. 1000inthemarket,asitisusedin and Technology, Government of India (Grant No.SP/SO/
ayurvedic medicine and for perfume manufacture. This C-16/99)toMewaSinghandtheRuffordFoundation,UK,to
practicehasresultedinanindiscriminatecapturefromnature H.N. Kumara.WethanktheKarnatakaForestDepartmentfor
without any legal approval. If this practice continues permissionto carry outthis study and forthe cooperation of
unchecked,itcansignificantlyaffectthestatusofthespecies. its staff in the field. We thank B.S. Narasimhamurty and
Small Indian Civets are also hunted using various methods D.V. Girish for local information. We acknowledge the
throughout Karnataka for meat. In spite of its widespread assistance of M. Mohan Kumar, Somashaker, Sunil, Anil,
distributionandadaptabilitytoavarietyofhabitats,theabove Goutham, Shanthala Kumar and many volunteers and field
factors can cause local extinction ofthis species. assistants in the field and analysis of the data. Thanks
The body weight ofBrown Palm Civets varies across are also due to Josh Cole, W. Kaumanns, A. Kumar and
seasons. They are believed to hunt more during August and S.M. Mohnot.
REFERENCES
Ashraf,N.V.K.,A. Kumar&A.J.T.Johnsingh(1993):Asurveyoftwo A.K.Sharma(2002):Distributionandmanagementofwildmammals
endemic civets ofthe Western Ghats: the Malabar Civet (Viverra inIndiraGandhi WildlifeSanctuary,Tamil Nadu,India.J. Bombay
civettina andthe Brown PalmCivet Paradoxurusjerdoni). Oryx Nat. Hist. Soc. 99: 184-210.
(
27: 109-114. Kumara,H.N.,A.K.Sharma,M.A.Kumar&M.Singh(2000):Roadkills
Cincotta,R.P.,J.Wisnewski&R.Engelman(2000):Humanpopulation of wild fauna in Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Western
in the biodiversity hotspots. Nature 404: 990-992. Ghats, India: Implications for management. Biosph. Conserv. 3:
IUCN (2003): 2003 Redlist of Threatened Species. IUCN, Gland 41-47.
(http://www.redlist.org). Kumara, H.N. & M. Singh (2004): Theinfluenceofdifferinghunting
Karanth, K.U. (1982): BhadraWildlifeSanctuaryand itsendangered practices on the relative abundance ofmammals in two rainforest
ecosystem. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 79: 79-86. areas ofthe Western Ghats, India. Oryx38: 321-327.
Karanth, K.U. (1986): Status of wildlife and habitat conservation Menon,S.&K.S.Bawa(1997):Applicationofgeographicinformation
in Karnataka. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 83 (Supplement): systems, remote sensing, and a landscape ecology approach
166-179. to biodiversity conservation in the Western Ghats. Cun: Sci. 73:
Karanth, K.U. (1988): Analysisofpredator-preybalance in Bandipur 134-144.
Tiger Reserve with reference to census reports. J. Bombay Nat. Mudappa, D. (2001): Ecology ofthe Brown PalmCivet Paradoxurus
Hist. Soc. 85: 1-8. jerdoni in the Tropical Rainforests of the Western Ghats, India.
Kumar,M.A.,M. Singh, S. Srivastava,A. Udhayan,H.N. Kumara & PhD. Thesis, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India.
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007 159
.
SMALL CARNIVORES OF KARNATAKA
Mudappa,D.(2002):ObservationsofsmallcarnivoresintheKalakkad- OnfactorsgoverningthedistributionofwildmammalsinKarnataka.
MundanthuraiTigerReserve,Western Ghats, India.Small Camiv. J. BombayNat. Hist. Soc. 75: 718-743.
Conserv. 27 4-5. Prater, S.H. (1971): The Book of Indian Animals, 4th Impression.
:
Mukherjee, S. (1989): Ecological separation of three sympatric Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay, andOxford University
carnivores in Keoladeo-Ghana National Park, Rajasthan, India. Press.
DissertationsubmittedtotheSaurashtraUniversity,Rajkotinpartial Rai,N.D.&A. Kumar(1993):Apilotstudyontheconservationofthe
fulfilmentofMasters Degree inWildlifeScience. MalabarCivet,Viverracivettina(Blyth, 1862):Projectreport.Small
Mukherjee,S.,S.P.Goyal,A.J.T.Johnsingh&M.R.P.L.Pitman(2004): Camiv. Conserv. 9: 3-7
The importance ofrodents in the diet ofJungle Cat (Felis chaus). Rajamani. N., D. Mudappa & H.V. Rompaey (2003): Distribution and
Caracal(Caracalcaracal)andGoldenJackal(Canisaureus)inSariska statusofthe Brown PalmCivet in theWesternGhats, SouthIndia.
Tigerreserve, Rajasthan, India. J. Zool. bond. 262: 405-411. Small Carniv. Conserv. 27: 6-11.
Myers,N.,R.A.Mittermeier,C.G.Mittermeier,G.A.B.daFonseca& Rao,K.T.,D.Sudhakar,V.Vasudevarao,V.Nagulu&C.Srinivasulu
J. Kent (2000): Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. (1999): RustyspottedCatPrionailurusrubiginosus-Anewrecord
Nature 403: 853-858. for Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Andhra Pradesh.
Nowell, K. & P. Jackson (1996): Wild Cats: Status Survey and J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 96: 463-464.
ConservationAction Plan. IUCN, Gland, p. 382 Walsh, P.D. & L.J.T. White (1999): What will it take to monitor
Prasad, S.N.,V.P. Nair, H.C. Sharathchandra & M. Gadgil (1978): forest elephant populations? Conserv Biol. 13: 1194-1202.
160 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007