Yadav Ghimirey | The TrickyScribe: Spotted linsang, a small and sleek carnivore, was recently photographed for the first time in more than 175 years in Nepal; first authentic evidence of the species in Nepal. Although there were reports of the species from Chitwan National Park during 1980s, convincing
ALSO READ: WOMEN LEAD PLASTICS CLEAN-UP AS TOURISTS THRONG HIMALAYAS
Commoners including wildlife enthusiasts may surely assume, upon reading the above, that spotted linsang is an extremely rare species, probably the rarest in Nepal. Before concluding its status, however, it is important to understand it as a species, its habits and the pattern in which this species is captured.
Spotted Linsang
Spotted linsang is found in the south and south-east Asia and its presence has been recorded in primary forests, secondary forests
Looking for Spotted Linsang
Different means are
ALSO READ: BIOREMEDIATION FOR CLEANER GANGA
Spotted linsang is quite an enigma, showing up very rarely even in camera traps. During the last survey carried by Friends of Nature in Annapurna Conservation Area back in 2017, two pictures of the species were captured for an effort of around 4,500 trap days. Putting this into context, one camera trap kept in the open for 24 hours is one trap day and one camera trap kept in the open for 10 days accounts to 10 trap days. Similarly, 10 trap days can also be achieved by keeping 10 camera traps for one day, two camera traps for five days or five camera traps for two days.
An effort of 4,500 trap days can be achieved in
ALSO READ: INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT TAKING TOLL ON CLOUDED LEOPARDS
This is the only conclusive study that has proved the existence of the species in Nepal after years of confusion on its status. There was no credible evidence of the species during the one and half years of search in Makalu-Barun National Park. Several other wildlife research efforts in the mid-hills have also failed to document this species prior to 2017.
Any interested observer would settle that the species is extremely rare in Nepal. Even photographs of this species are rare, after all. There are, however, other reasons too for its low capture rate than just its rarity. Small carnivore experts have different opinions on how Spotted Linsang shows up so rarely in camera traps. Will Duckworth of IUCN believes that it’s primarily an ambush hunter waiting for its prey from a strategic location and rarely travels long distances in search of food making it less likely to be shot by the camera traps installed. Many believe that this little carnivore occupies a very small area which often gets sandwiched between two camera traps set to study larger mammals like tiger and leopard resulting in this species being shot rarely.
Current status in Nepal
Classified as a Least Concern by IUCN Red List, Spotted Linsang is currently classified as a Data Deficient species. This means there’s much to study about the species as of now. This is unfortunate in a sense that people conserving wildlife should at least know the status of the species on the basis of which relevant conservation drives need to be planned meticulously.
(To send in your bouquets and brickbats click here to ping us)
Total Views: 2,47,750