An Analysis of Food Habits and Conservation of Red Panda (Ailurus Fulgens Cuvier, 1825) in Langtang National Park, Nepal

Abstract

This study onfood habits andconservation threatsof red panda Ailurus fulgensinthe Langtang National Park, was carried outbetween March 2009 toMarch 2010and was mainly centered onexamining diet composition, food niche breadth and conservation threats. Three sites were chosen for the study, which wereGopache,Dhokachet and Trisuli-Originof Cholangpati-Dhokachet areas.Thisstudy includedreconnaissance survey for specific siteselection, altitudinal line intercept methodfor faecal samplecollectionanddung encounter,whereasmicro-histological techniquewas used to examine the seasonal diet compositionand niche breadth of the red panda. Conservation threats of animal were analyzedthrough semi-structured questionnairesand interviews with local people and also throughcattle dung encounter rate and grazing intensity. A total of 12 altitudinalline interceptswerelaid in three sites at theelevations of 3000m-3600m with verticallinesat theinterval of 150 m.A total of 161fecal sampleswere examinedusingmicro-histologicalanalysis.Results showed thatthe red panda’s diet composed ofeightdifferent plantsincluding bamboo, tree, herbs, shrubs and moss. They wereThamnocalamus aristatus, Sorbus cuspidata, moss, Juniper recurva, Acer caudatum, Rhododendron campanulatum,Abies spectabilis,andRubus sp.Itsdiet consistedof Thamnocalamus aristatus(mean=245.08±15.74%) inhighest proportion,followed by Moss (mean=5.91±1.95%), S. cuspidata (mean=5.83±1.22%), J. recurva(mean=1.08±071.95%), A. caudatum(mean=1.00±0.38%), andsomeothersinalow proportion (all<1). Statistically,T. aristatuswas consumed in all seasonsthat was insignificant (2> 0.001, df =11, P>0.05),where as other foodsvaried seasonally.Niche breadthdeterminationofred panda was 0.000104, which was quite low that resembledits high selectiveness in forage.Unidentified hairs, bonesand claws were observed in the few faecal samples. Livestock pressure, speciallytheChauri caused major threatstothered pandasalong with the fire woodandfodder collection. Dhokachet siteof Cholang-Dhokachet wasfoundwithhighest grazing intensity withahigher dung encounter rate(mean=34.19/km),followed by Gopche (mean=24.49/km) and Trisuli (mean=9.6/km).Also the line of regression(r2=0.491) showedthere wasa decreaseinfecal pellet encounter rate correspondingcattle dung encounter rate.