Lukas Egli

Assessing the Role of Livestock in Big Cat Prey Choice Using Spatiotemporal Availability Patterns

Livestock is represented in big cat diets throughout the world. Husbandry approaches aim to reduce depredation, which may influence patterns of prey choice, but whether felids have a preference for livestock or not often remains unclear as most studies ignore livestock availability. We assessed prey choice of the endangered Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in Golestan National Park, Iran, where conflict over livestock depredation occurs. We analyzed leopard diet (77 scats) and assessed wild and domestic prey abundance by line transect sampling (186 km), camera-trapping (2777 camera days), double-observer point-counts (64 scans) and questionnaire surveys (136 respondents). Based on interviews with 18 shepherds, we estimated monthly grazing time outside six villages with 96 conflict cases to obtain a small livestock (domestic sheep and goat) availability coefficient. Using this coefficient, which ranged between 0.40 and 0.63 for different villages, we estimated the numbers of sheep and goats available to leopard depredation. Leopard diet consisted mainly of wild boar (Sus scrofa) (50.2% biomass consumed), but bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus) was the most preferred prey species (Ij = 0.73), whereas sheep and goats were avoided (Ij = -0.54). When absolute sheep and goat numbers (~11250) were used instead of the corrected ones (~6392), avoidance of small livestock appeared to be even stronger (Ij = -0.71). We suggest that future assessments of livestock choice by felids should incorporate such case-specific corrections for spatiotemporal patterns of availability, which may vary with husbandry methods. Such an approach increases our understanding of human-felid conflict dynamics and the role of livestock in felid diets.

Precision and reliability of indirect population assessments for the Caspian red deer Cervus elaphus maral

The elusive Caspian red deer Cervus elaphus maral lives at low densities in rugged forest habitats of the Caucasus and the south Caspian region, and its declining population requires urgent attention. We here address the precision and reliability of dung counts (fecal standing crop approach FSC) and camera trapping (random encounter model REM) for estimating its population size. We surveyed 36 km of strip transects arranged in systematic random design and applied 1585 camera trap nights of effort in the mountainous forest habitats of Golestan National Park, Iran. We also conducted a dung decay analysis of 80 samples. Dung decay rates were not habitat-specific and the mean time to decay was 141.8 ± 15.1 days, i.e. only ca 52% of the most reliable estimate available for red deer dung. Estimated deer population size and density from dung counts was lower (194 ±46 individuals, 0.46 ±0.11 individuals km-2, 2012–2013) than from REM (257 ±84 individuals, 0.61 ± 0.20 individuals km-2, 2011), but this difference was insignificant. Both these estimates confirm a sharp decline of the population from an estimated 2096 animals in the 1970s. Density estimates reached a stable level and were most precise at a sampling effort of 15 transects (FSC) and 1345 camera trap-days (REM). Our results confirm that FSC and REM can both be reliable for assessing populations of Cervidae.

The decline of ungulate populations in Iranian protected areas calls for urgent action against poaching

Poaching is cryptically but rapidly driving many species towards extinction. Knowledge of population trends of exploited species and incentives for poaching is necessary to inform appropriate conservation measures. We estimated the abundance of four ungulate species in Golestan National Park, Iran, the countrys oldest protected area, where poaching of ungulates is widespread. We used line transect surveys (186 km), camera trapping (2,777 camera-nights), point counts (64 scans) and dung counts (along 38 km), and compared population estimates with those from earlier records. We also investigated the incentives for poaching, using a semi-structured interview survey. Population estimates for 2011–2014 indicated a 66–89% decline in three ungulate species (bezoar goat Capra aegagrus , red deer Cervus elaphus and urial Ovis vignei ) compared to 1970–1978. Only wild boar Sus scrofa showed a population increase (of 58%) during the same period, possibly facilitated by religious restrictions regarding the consumption of this species. The incentives for poaching were categorized (in a non-ordinal manner) as subsistence, pleasure, tradition, trade of wild meat, and conflict with conservation regulations and bodies. The decline in hunted ungulates in this Park appears to be the result of rampant poaching, and a similar trend is evident in other protected areas in the country. We suggest the adoption of participatory conservation strategies, improvement of law enforcement practices and cooperation with international experts to reduce poaching in these protected areas. Taking into account the incentives for poaching, a combination of economic and non-economic strategies should be considered.

Letter to editor: Incorrect identification of study species

Dear Editor, Mirzakhani et al. (2016) presented the first confirmed case of the feline panleukopenia virus (FPL) in wildcat (Felis silvestris) in Iran using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. In principle, identification of such a contagious virus in captive conditions may surely expand our understanding of potential infections in captive and wild-ranging felid populations. Knowing valid scientific names of studied specimens in such studies is essential to trace host-vector relationships and disease trends. Mirzakhani et al. (2016) misidentified the 2-year-old specimen from Urmia Zoo that they examined during their study as the wildcat. Indeed, judging from Fig. 1 on the second page of Mirzakhani et al. (2016), this specimen is the jungle cat (Felis chaus). While wildcats (Fig. 1) may be confused with domestic or feral cats (Reig et al. 2001), distinguishing wildcats from jungle cats is relatively easy. Jungle cats are larger, have longer limbs and a shorter tail than wildcats (Firouz 2005). The wildcat’s fur varies from tawny grey to light grey or sand coloured, showing pronounced stripes and spots on the flanks, head and limbs, and also distinct rings on the black-tipped tail (Firouz 2005). In most of the Middle East, including Iran, the Asiatic wildcat (Felis silvestris ornata) has spots on its flanks and head, while the coat of the jungle cat is uniformly sandy brown or greyish, without spots. The only markings of the jungle cat are vague stripes on its legs and less distinct rings on the tail (Firouz 2005, Gray et al. 2016). The other noticeable differences of the jungle cat are the black-tipped and slightly tufted ears, long limbs and a shorter tail (Firouz 2005; Yamaguchi et al. 2004; Yamaguchi et al. 2015). The jungle cat is heavier than the wildcat (3–8 kg and 2.5– 5 kg, respectively) (Gray et al. 2016).