Table Of Content,
Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 102 (2), May-Aug 2005 217-261
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
OCCURRENCE OF THE TIBETAN SAND FOX VULPES FERRILATA HODGSON IN LADAKH:
1.
A NEW RECORD FOR THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT
Owingtoitslocationatthetri-junctionofCentralAsia, Foxismorphologically moresimilartotheCorsac V. corsac,
Southeast Asia and Africa, India harbours a diverse but thetwohavenon-overlappingdistributions(Schallerand
assemblageoffloraandfauna(Mani 1974),anditisonthelist Ginsberg2004).
of twelve 'megadiversity’ nations in the world. Covering ThegeographicalrangeoftheTibetanSandFoxextends
about2%ofthe world’slandsurface, Indiahousesabout9% over the Tibetan Plateau encompassing Xinjiang, Gansu,
ofallthemammalianspeciesandmorearebeingaddedtothis QinghaiandSichuanprovinces(China)andMustang(Nepal).
richbiologicalrepertoirewithsomeevennewtoscience(Datta Inasurveyof43countiesofTibetAutonomousRegion(TAR),
etal. 2003;Mishraefo/. 2005;Kumaretal. 2005; Sinhaetal. c. 37,000Tibetan SandFoxeswereestimatedbyPiao(1989).
2005; Mishraetal. inpress). Presently thecountry isthought The Red Fox on the otherhand has a very wide distribution
toharbour419speciesofmammalsofwhich61 arecarnivores encompassingtheentire northern hemisphereexceptIceland
including 7 canids (Johnsingh and Manjrekar, in press). andsomearcticislands(MacdonaldandReynolds2004).The
In thisnote, we describethe occurrence oftheTibetan CorsacisalsowidelydistributedincentralAsiancountriesof
Sand Fox Vulpesferrilata in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan,
India.ThespeciesiswidelydistributedontheTibetanPlateau, extending eastward into Russia and westwards into parts of
but hitherto it has not been reported from India. However, Europe.
given the location of Ladakh at the western edge of the We surveyed the Parma Valley and the Pangong Tso
Tibetan Plateau, some authors have speculated that the BasininAugust2000,HanleandtheChumurvalleysofeastern
speciescouldoccurinthisregion(Postanovicz 1997,Schaller LadakhduringJuly-August2004,andHanleandKuyulvalleys
and Ginsberg 2004). Schallerand Ginsberg (2004) note that in March-April2005.The lattertwosurveyswerecarriedout
no reliable evidence exists ofits occurrence outside certain inconjunctionwithanecologicalstudyontheTibetanGazelle
ChinesereservessuchastheArjinShan,Xianza,ChangTang Procapra picticaudata. The surveyed areas are part of the
and Hoh Xil. Early works on Ladakh’s mammalian species, vastplainsoftheTibetan Plateauthatextendwestwards into
(Ganhar 1979)aswellasmorerecentinventories(Pfister2004) theLadakhregionoftheIndianTrans-Himalaya.Topography
have not enlisted this species. Johnsingh and Manjrekar (in ischaracterisedbyopenandrollingterrain interspersed with
press) also have not mentioned about the occurrence ofthe rockyterrain,andaltituderangesfrom4,000-5,500m.Owing
species within the Indian Territory, and have described it as totherain-shadoweffectoftheGreaterHimalaya,precipitation
one of the lesser-known mammals of South Asia. All these isminimal(100-400mmannually),occurringmostlyassnow.
indicatethatthespecieshasnotbeendocumentedfrom India Temperaturesrange between-35°C in wintersand +20°C in
andourfindingaddsonemorespeciestothelistofcarnivores summers.The largemammalsoftheareaincludetheTibetan
ofLadakh as well as the Indian subcontinent. Gazelle, Tibetan Wild Ass or Kiang Equus kiang, Tibetan
TheTibetanSandFoxisasmallcarnivore(3.0-4.5 kg) Argali Ovisammonhodgsoni BlueSheeporBharalPseudois
of the Family Canidae. The dorsal part and the flanks are nayaur,andtheirpredatorssuchasthe Snow Leopard Uncia
sandy to pale rufous, and the neck, thighs and rump are uncia, Tibetan Wolf Cams lupus, Eurasian Lynx Lynx lynx
greyish.Theunderpartsarealsowhitishtolightgrey,andthe andtheRedFox Vulpesvulpes. SmallmammalsincludePikas
tail is bushy with a white tip (Schaller and Ginsberg 2004). Ochotona spp. and VolesAlticola spp., which are important
The Tibetan Sand Fox is morphologically distinct from the preyfortheTibetanSandFox(Mitchell 1977,Schaller 1998).
Red Fox V. vulpes, whose distribution overlaps with that of Peoplearepredominantlynomadicpastoralists,althoughsome
the formerover large tracts ofthe Tibetan Plateau. The Red cultivateonalimitedscale.
Foxislarger(4.6-5.3kg),andconspicuouslyrufouswithdark During various surveys, the plains and the rolling
grey to black legs and tail. The two species also somewhat mountain slopes were scanned with binoculars and spotting
differ in their habitat use, as the Tibetan Sand Fox inhabits scopes to record wildlife. Apart from field surveys, we also
alpinemeadowswithrollingterrainwithinanaltitudinalrange enquiredthelocalpeopleabouttheoccurrenceoffox intheir
of2,500-5,200 m, whereas the Red Fox occupies relatively area. On an affirmative response, they were shown the
rugged terrain, and is often found in wooded areas as well picturesoftheRedFox (pictureoftheTibetan SandFoxwas
(Schaller1998,SchallerandGinsberg,2004).TheTibetanSand not available) and asked whether the animal they had seen
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
78°30’E 78°40’E 79°00'E 79°10’E 79°30'E
Fig 1 LocationsoftheTibetanSandFoxsightingsinChangthang, Ladakh, India
coulddifferfromtheRedFox.Thevillagerswerealsoaskedif theyrevealedthatthisfoxisknowntothembythelocalname
theypossessedthefurofanyofthetwofoxesasitistraditionally Sili, whereasthe RedFox iscalledAatse.
usedformakinghats,andliningtraditionalLadakhidresses. WecontinuedoursurveyinHanlein2005,andsighted
The Tibetan Sand Fox was sighted on four occasions theTibetanSandFoxontwomoreoccasions.OnApril3,2005
during these surveys. The first observation was made on the at0930hrs,wecameacrossafoxonthesouthernslopeofthe
KajukongkaLa(pass)betweentheParmaValleyandChushul Sdikpa Raza Hill nearHanle Gompa (Monastery; Fig. 1). It
(BhatnagarandWangchuk2001,Fig. 1). Duringa 10minute wasmovingacrossagravel-strewnslopeabovethelinkroad
observation through binoculars, we noted that the animal to the Pungug Village, sniffing and squatting intermittently
was distinctly pale rufous coloured, and had a large bushy on low shrubs ofArtemisia and Eurotia spp. Villagers had
tail with awhite tip. The secondsighting was in theChumur also reportedly seen Sili on the same hill. Next morning we
ValleyonJuly 15,2004.Whiledrivingintheevening,wesaw visited the same site, and saw two individuals. One fox
a fox scurrying across a slope above the road. On a closer emerged from behind a large boulder and rushed towards a
lookthrough binoculars,itturnedouttobe theTibetan Sand smaller boulder where another fox was lying down. After
Fox.ItwassmallerthantheRedFoxandthecolourwasgreyish nuzzlingtherestingfox,itmoveduptheslope.Wevisitedthe
yellowwithpalerunderparts. Itstoodandstaredatourvehicle site again in the evening to check for any dens, but in vain.
for about three minutes and then climbed up the slope. We, however, found the resting sites and scats entangled in
Interviews with the herders revealed that a fox, paler and low shrubs. In one of the scats, there were many Ephedra
smallerthan the Red Fox, does occur in the region. Further, seeds.
218 1 Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 102 (2), May-Aug 2005
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
However, wedidnotobserve anyTibetan SandFox in plans for further surveys in the coming years in Ladakh to
theKuyulValley.Interviewswiththelocalpastoralists,known assess the distribution and threats to the species.
as Changpas revealed that the species was common in the
,
valley some 20 years ago, but has since declined. The ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Changpasclaimedthatthespeciesisnotpersecutedcurrently
duetotheimplementationofconservationlaws.We,however, The surveys were funded by the International Snow
cameacrossmanyhatsmadeofRedFoxskinacquired inthe Leopard Trust and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
past, but none from the skin of the Tibetan Sand Fox. We AdditionalsupportfromtheNatureConservationFoundation
were told by the locals that when hunting was widespread, andthe SyracuseUniversity isalsoacknowledged. Wethank
Tibetan Sand Fox was persecuted less compared to the Red Dr. C.M. Seth,ChiefWildlifeWarden,Mr. JigmetTakpaand
Fox,asitsfurwasconsideredinferior. Mr.SalimU1Haq,WildlifeProtectionDepartmentforproviding
ThenaturalhistoryofthelargemammalsoftheLadakh the necessary permission to work in the Changthang Cold
Region was documented by explorer/travellers ofthe early Desert Wildlife Sanctuary. We also thank the Indian
20thcentury(Burrard 1925;Stockley 1936).Morerecently,the Astrophysics Observatory at Hanle for providing valuable
largeherbivoresandcarnivoresoftheregionhave beenwell logistical support. Assistance of Mr. Tsetan Paljor is also
documentedbynaturalistsandfieldbiologists(Ganhar 1979; gratefullyacknowledged.
Mallon 1991;Foxetal. 1991 Pfister2004).Nevertheless,the
;
occurrenceoftheTibetanSandFoxremainedundocumented, October 18,2005 TSEWANG NAMGAIL1
perhaps because large tracts of the remote eastern Ladakh SUMANTA BAGCHF 2
(potential habitat for the species) were out of bounds for YASH V. BHATNAGAR1 3
manysurveyors. Itisalsopossible thatthose whovisitedthe 'Nature Conservation Foundation,
areaandsaw the animalmistookit forthe RedFox, which is 3076/5,IV-Cross,GokulamPark,Mysore570002,
widelydistributedinLadakh(Mallon 1991). Karnataka,India.
Our finding indicates that the fauna of Ladakh, Email:[email protected]
especiallysmalleranimalsofthelesser-knowngeneraremain
largely unknown. In any case, although our surveys have departmentofBiology,
establishedtheoccurrenceoftheTibetanSandFoxinLadakh, SyracuseUniversity, 130CollegePlace,
its status and distribution in the region remain to be Syracuse,NY-13244,USA.
documented. According to the Changpa pastoralists. Si!is
were relatively common in Changthang in the past, but the 'International Snow LeopardTrust
encounterratehasdeclined inrecentyears. Moreover,unlike (IndiaProgram)
inthecaseofRedFox,whichiswell studied(Macdonaldand 4649SunnysideAvenueN„Suite325,Seattle,
Reynolds 2004), there is no information available on the WA-98103,USA.
reproductive and social behaviour ofthe Tibetan Sand Fox
throughoutitsrange(SchallerandGinsberg2004).Therefore, R1NCHEN WANGCHUK
there is an urgent need to gatherbaseline information on its SnowLeopardConservancy(IndiaProgram).
status, distribution andecological aspects, which are crucial 8030ComstockAvenue,
1
fordevelopingappropriateconservation strategies. We have SonomaCA-95476,USA.
REFERENCES
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Biodiversity in the Trans-Himalaya: New Initiatives for Field Srinagar,India.
ConservationinLadakh.UnpublishedReport.WildlifeInstitute Johnsingh,A.J.T.&N.Manjrekar(Eds)(inpress):MammalsofSouth
ofIndia. Asia: Ecology, BehaviourandConservation. PermanentBlack,
Burrard, G. (1925): Big Game Hunting in the Himalayas and Tibet. NewDelhi,India.
Herbert Jenkins, London. Kumar, R.S., C. Mishra&A. Sinha (2005): Discovery oftheTibetan
Datta,A.,J.Pansa,M.D.Madhusudan&C.Mishra(2003):Discovery macaqueMacacathibetanainArunachalPradesh,India.Current
oftheLeafDeer(Muntiacusputaoensis)inArunachalPradesh: Science 88: 1387-1388.
anadditiontothe large mammalsofIndia. CurrentScience84: Macdonald, D.W. & J.C. Reynolds (2004): Red Fox Vulpes vulpes.
454-458. Pp. 129-136. In: Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs.
Fox,J.L.,C.Nurbu&R.S.Chundawat(1991):Themountainungulates IUCN/SSCCanidSpecialistGroup,Gland,Switzerland,
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22
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Mallon, D P. (1991): Status and Conservation ofLarge Mammals in Piao, R. (1989): Surveying the abundance of Tibetan Sand Fox in
Ladakh. Biol. Consent 56: 101-119. Tibet. Chinese Wildlife 6: 22-26 (In Chinese).
Mani. M.S. (1974): Ecology and Biogeography in India. Dr. W. Junk Postanovicz, R. (1997): Tibetan Fox (Vulpesferrilata). http://
Publishers, Hague,theNetherlands. www.Lioncrusher.com/animal.aspanimal=34(AccessedMarch
Mishra, C., A. Datta & M.D Madhusudan (2005): Record of the 23, 2005).
Chinese Goral Naemorhedus caudatus in Arunachal Piadesh. Schaller. G.B. (1998): Wildlife of the Tibetan steppe. Chicago
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Mishra, C., M.D. Madhusudan & A. Datta (in press): Mammals of Schaller, G.B. & J.R. Ginsberg (2004): Tibetan Fox Vulpesferrilata.
the high-altitudes of western Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Pp. 148-151. In: Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs.
Himalaya:anassessmentofthreatsandconservation needs. Oryx IUCN/SSCCanidSpecialistGroup,Gland,Switzerland.
inpress. Sinha, A., A. Datta, M.D. Madhusudan & C. Mishra (in press): The
Mitchell, R.M. (1977): Accounts ofNepalese mammals and analysis Arunachal macaque Macaca munzala: a new species
ofhostparasitedatabycomputertechniques.Ph.D.dissertation. from western Arunachal Pradesh, northeatern India. Inti.
Iowa State University. J. Primatol.
Pfister, O. (2004): BirdsandMammalsofLadakh. Oxford University Stockley, G. (1936): Stalking in the Himalayas and Northern India.
Press,NewDelhi.India. Herbert Jenkins, London.
2. DOMESTIC DOG (CANIS FAMILIARIS):
THREAT FOR THE GOLDEN LANGUR TRACHYPITHECUS GEEI
Primatesare sensitive to the risk ofpredation (Dunbar The villagers use dogs to chase away the monkeys to
1988), and both actual predation and the risk of predation prevent crop raiding. A survey in the fringe villages of
influence the behavioural strategies ofthe species. Primates Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary revealed that every year 3-4
often fall preytopredators,especiallycarnivorous mammals Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatto) also fall prey to dogs.
and birds. Theseincidencesshowtheemergenceofbothdomestic
The Dog (Canis familiaris) is one of the earliest and stray dogs as a threat to primates in general, and the
domesticatedanimals. It isthemostcommondomesticanimal GoldenLangurinparticular.
in the villages adjoining the forests in Assam. This poses a
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
threattothe wildlife.
TheGoldenLangur(Trachypithecusgcei)isarestricted
range species, its distribution in India being confined to a We gratefully acknowledge the support from Primate
forest belt between river Manas in the east, Sankosh in the Conservation Inc.
westand.BrahmaputrainthesouthintheIndo-Bhutan Border.
Many populations of Golden Langur now live in forests April 16,2003 DILIP CHETRY123
adjoining human settlements. They are compelled to move REKHA MEDHI1
on the ground due to the canopy gaps, where they are PC. BHATTACHARJEE1
vulnerable to attack by dogs. 'AnimalEcologyandWildlifeBiologyLab.
A socio-ecological study of the Golden Langur was DepartmentofZoology,
carriedoutinChakrashilaWildlifeSanctuaryinDhubridistrict GauhatiUniversity,
ofAssamduring2001-2002. Inthisstudy,several aggressive Guwahati,Assam781 014,India.
encountersbetweenthedomesticdoganti theGolden Langur
wereobserved.Thedeathofanadultmaleandanadultfemale 2PrimateResearchCentre,
ofthesametroop,duetopredationbydomesticdog,occurred NortheastIndia,P.O. Box. 152,
inJornagara,avillageonthefringeoftheChakrashilaWildlife Guwahati,Assam781 001,India.
Sanctuary, on January 6 and on February 12, 2002. The
villagersreportedafewkillingsofGoldenLangurbydomestic ’Email:[email protected]
dogs in the same area. Observations of aggressive
encounters between a semi-provisioned group of Golden B.N. PATIRI
Langurs and domestic dogs in Umananda River Island in DivisionalForestOffice,
Guwahati during a long-term study also support this view WildlifeDivision,Kokrajhar,
(Medhi2002). Govt, ofAssam,Assam, India.
220 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 102 (2), May-Aug 2005
