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Vol. 51 No. 4, 2012
Summer Diet and Distribution of the Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) in Dhorpatan Hunting
Reserve, Nepal
Saroj
Panthi1,2, Achyut Aryal3,*, David Raubenheimer4,
Jennie Lord5, and Bikash Adhikari1
1Institute
of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara, Nepal
2Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Department of National
Park and Wildlife Conservation, Ministry of Forests and Soil
Conservation, Nepal
3Ecology and Conservation Group, Institute of Natural
Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
4Nutritional Ecology Research Group, Institute of
Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
5URS, Environment and Natural Resources, Brunel House,
54 Princess Street, Manchester M1 6HS, UK
Saroj Panthi, Achyut Aryal, David Raubenheimer, Jennie
Lord, and Bikash Adhikari (2012) The
red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens)
is distributed throughout the Himalayas and is found in both protected
and unprotected areas of Nepal. Loss and fragmentation of habitat
threaten red panda populations throughout its range, and as a
consequence, it is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Despite this pressing situation, data on the ecology of the red panda
in western Nepal are lacking. Our aim in the current study was to
determine the distribution, associated habitats, and summer diet of the
red panda in Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (DHR), Nepal. Evidence of
red pandas was found in all 6 blocks (except Dogadi block) of the
reserve, spanning an area of 345.8 km2, between elevations
of 2800 m and 4000 m and predominantly (> 75%) in forests comprising
plant communities dominated by Abies spectabilis, Acer caesium, Tsuga domusa, and Betula utilis, with ground cover of
Arundinaria spp.
The dominant plant found in scat of the red panda was Arundinaria spp. (81.7%), with Acer spp., B. utilis, and lichen also
frequently present. Livestock grazing and human activities were
significantly higher in habitats where signs of pandas were recorded
than in areas where they were absent. This habitat overlap
between the red panda and livestock potentially poses a major threat to
the panda’s survival in the DHR, a fact that should be taken into
account in devising management strategies for this threatened
species.
Key words: Diet, Habitat, Distribution,
Habitat overlap.
*Correspondence: E-mail:savefauna@gmail.com
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