Endangered Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus) needs conservation in eastern India

摘要

Asiatic wild dog or dhole (Cuon alpinus) is one of the top predators in the wild. In spite of being a predator it has so far got poor attention from ecologists and conservationists. Due to the severe anthropogenic pressure and habitat fragmentation, it has lost much of its range all over the world, especially northeast India. So far globally 11 subspecies have been described. Among these, four are thought to be occurring in India. Earlier, this species was widespread across the Americas, Europe and Asia. Later it was restricted to only Asia after the mass extinction during the Pleistocene period. Due to habitat fragmentation, decline in prey species and increased human activities, this species currently occurs in south and southeastern countries like India, Indonesia, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam.