Poaching record of a Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus
hemaphroditus from Assam, India
1. Division of Wildlife Management and
Biodiversity Conservation, ENVIRON,
60, LNB Road, Hatigaon, Guwahati-
781006, Assam, India. Presently at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun,
India 2. Primate Research Centre, North East
India, House no. 4, Bye lane 3, Ananda Nagar, Pandu, Guwahati-781012,
Assam, India 3. School of Environment, Natural
Resources and Geography, Bangor
Correspondence:
The Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hemaphroditus is a nocturnal omnivore
that is distributed throughout most of non-Himalayan India except the arid west. It inhabits
a wide range of habitats which includes deciduous, evergreen and scrub forests, well-
wooded countryside and plantations (Menon, 2014). It is listed as Least Concern on the
IUCN Red List (Duckworth et al. 2015) and is included in Schedule II of the Indian Wild
Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Globally its distribution includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam
(references). Although distributed in most parts of India, the species is poorly studied for its
distribution, ecology or trade, particularly in Assam.
Here we document a new record of the Common Palm Civet from Nadangiri
Reserved Forest, one of the least surveyed forests in Assam (Figure 1). The hilly terrain,
ranging from 30 – 455 m above sea level is covered with dense semi-evergreen and moist
deciduous forest, with patches of grassland and scattered bushes. The Nadangiri RF is
noted particularly for the healthy population of Endangered Golden Langur Tracyipithecus
geei. Other mammals found in Nadangiri and nearby Chakrasila Wildlife Sanctuary include
Abstract.
We report a chance encounter of poaching of a Common Palm Civet
Paradoxurus hemaphroditus in Nadangiri Reserve Forest of Assam,
Northeast India. We suggest long term monitoring studies in the study area to
inform conservation of the species.
Keywords: Wildlife trade, Nadangiri Reserve Forest, Chakrasila Wildlife
Sanctuary, Northeast India
Small Carnivore Conservation 55: XX–XX ii
Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta, Slow Loris Nycticebus bengalensis, Tiger Panthera
tigris, Leopard Panthera pardus, Clouded Leopard Neofelis nebulosa, Wild Pig Sus scrofa,
Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjak, Sambar Cervus unicolor, and Chinese Pangolin Manis
pentadactyla (Chetry et al. 2010). Temperatures range from 7C to 34 C and it receives
annual rainfall between 2,000 mm–3,000 mm.
Figure 1. Representation of the study area: Nadangiri RF (Source: Google Earth)
On 27 February 2016 at 07h42, SNJ and two foresters encountered two poachers
carrying a dead Common Palm Civet. The encounter took place near a rubber garden at the
location 262420.8N, 902158.1E. One of the poachers carried the civet on a stick
along with a net which they claimed was used to catch and handle the civet (Figure 2).
Upon asking, they informed us that they smoked the Civet out of its hole where it was
lodged. Additionally, we found one possible burrow used by civet species with fresh faecal
matter near it (Figure 3). This can be used by other species as well. We also encountered
faecal matter near a fruiting tree of Ficus glomerata (Figure 4), which has been identified
as the preferred food of the Common Palm Civet (Mohinder Basumatary, personal
communication). We found tracks of civets in Nadangiri RF and adjoining Chakrasila
Wildlife Sanctuary.
iii Small Carnivore Conservation XX: XX–XX
Figure 2. The poached Common Palm Civet at Nadangiri RF, (A-C) pictures taken from different angles.
Figure 3. (A) Potential burrow of Civet with (B) fresh scat (Photo: SNJ).
Poaching record of a Common Palm Civet in India
Small Carnivore Conservation 55: XX–XX iv
Figure 4. Fruiting tree of Ficus glomerata where faecal matter was found nearby (Photo: SNJ).
Small carnivores in India are threatened by habitat loss, degradation and
fragmentation, pollution from insecticides and pesticides, and a general lack of concern
toward their long-term conservation (Menon, 2014). Additionally, poaching is pervasive in
the study area which is of concern. The poachers claimed that the meat was intended for
self-consumption and not for selling at the market. In some parts of its range this species is
hunted for bush meat, civet coffee (in Indonesia) and pet trade (Nijman et al. 2014). In
South China it is extensively hunted and trapped for wild meat (Duckworth et al. 2008).
Earlier records of hunting for bush meat in India were reported by Gupta (2004) where
carcasses were found with local tribes during visits to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and Agra,
Uttar Pradesh between 1998 and 2003. Hunting pressure may affect local populations of
NFR, where the landscape is highly fragmented and anthropogenically modified. The local
Jelil et al.
v Small Carnivore Conservation XX: XX–XX
trade of the civets is yet to be studied and understood. Insights into existing international
trade links, if any, would further help in conservation efforts. We suggest long term
monitoring studies in the study area to inform conservation of the species.
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the Kokrajhar Wildlife Division, Assam Forest Department for their
cooperation. Special thanks go to the members of Dawkaraja for help during the field
surveys. Thanks to Dr. Jihosuo Biswas of Primate Research Centre (PRC), NE Unit, for
help during the initial drafting of the article. We sincerely acknowledge the untiring and
constant review of the manuscript by Dr. Narayan Sharma of Cotton College State
University, Assam. We thank his valuable suggestions.
References
Chetry D, Chetry R, Ghosh K & Bhattacharjee PC. 2010. Status and conservation of Golden Langur
in Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India. Primate Conservation 25: 1–6.
Duckworth JW, Widmann P, Custodio C, Gonzalez JC, Jennings A & Veron G. 2008. Paradoxurus
hermaphroditus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T41693A10518525.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T41693A10518525.en.
Gupta BK. 2004. Killing civets for meat and scent in India. Small Carnivore Conservation 31: 21.
Menon V. 2014. Indian Mammals: A Field Guide. Hachette Book Publishing India, Gurgaon, India.
Nijman V, Spaan D, Rode-Margono EJ, Roberts PD, Wirdateti & Nekaris KAI. 2014. Trade in
Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus in Javan and Balinese markets,
Indonesia. Small Carnivore Conservation 51: 1–17.