Diet and Prey Selection of Dholes in Evergreen and Deciduous Forests of Southeast Asia |
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Authors: | Jan F Kamler Khamtai Thatdokkham Susana Rostro-García Anita Bousa Anthony Caragiulo Rachel Crouthers Visattha In Chen Pay Chanratana Pin Sovanna Prum Chantavy Vongkhamheng Arlyne Johnson David W Macdonald |
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Institution: | 1. Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL United Kingdom;2. Faculty of Science, National University of Laos, P.O. Box 7322, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic;3. Wildlife Conservation Society-Lao PDR Program, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic;4. Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024 USA;5. World Wild Fund for Nature Cambodia, House #54, Street 352, Boeung Keng Kang I, Phnom Penh, Cambodia;6. Ministry of Environment, 48 Preah Sihanouk Blvd., Phnom Penh, 12301 Cambodia;7. Ministry of Environment, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL United Kingdom;8. Ministry of Environment, Phnom Penh, 48 Preah Sihanouk Blvd., Phnom Penh, 12301 Cambodia;9. Wildlife Conservation Society-Lao PDR Program, P.O. Box 6712, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic |
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Abstract: | Endangered dholes (Cuon alpinus) are restricted to small and declining populations in Southeast Asia, and little is known about how their ecology differs within the region. We used DNA-confirmed scats and prey surveys to determine the seasonal diet and prey selection of dholes in 2 different landscapes that dominate Southeast Asia: closed evergreen forests in hilly terrain in northern Laos, and open deciduous forests in relatively flat terrain in eastern Cambodia. On both sites, muntjac (Muntiacus spp.; 20–28 kg) was the dominant prey item and was selectively consumed over other ungulates in all seasons. Our findings differ from previous conclusions, based largely on studies from India, that the preferred prey weight range of dholes was either 40–60 kg or 130–190 kg. Other important prey were sambar (Rusa unicolor) in Laos, and wild pig (Sus scrofa) and banteng (Bos javanicus) in Cambodia. Seasonal differences in overall diet occurred in Laos, but not Cambodia, primarily because of an increase in livestock consumption. The mean number of dhole scats in group defecation sites was higher in Cambodia (5.9 ± 0.5 SE]) than Laos (2.4 ± 0.2), suggesting pack sizes were larger in Cambodia. Our results suggest that regardless of land cover type, prey diversity, or pack size, the management of muntjac will be important for conserving dhole populations in Southeast Asia. In Laos, we recommend that local villagers remove livestock from the protected area during the hot-dry season to reduce livestock predation by dholes. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Wildlife Society. |
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Keywords: | Asiatic wild dog Cambodia Cuon alpinus diet Lao PDR livestock predation niche breadth pack size |
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