Monday, March 19, 2018

[Mammalogy • 2017] Rediscovery of the Hispid Hare (Caprolagus hispidus) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal After Three Decades


Caprolagus hispidus (Pearson, 1839)

in Khadka, Yadav, Aryal & Aryal, 2017. 

Summary: 
The critical endangered hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus) was first recorded as present in Chitwan, Bardiya and Shuklaphanta National Parks of Nepal in 1984. Since then, the species was recorded only in Bardiya and Suklaphanta National Parks. For more than three decades, it had not been observed in Chitwan National Park (CNP), where it was consequently considered extinct. In January 2016, a new recording for the hispid hare took place in CNP, placing that rare mammal again within CNP mammal assemblages. We reported the first photographic confirmation of the presence (30 Jan 2016) of the species in the CNP after 1984. The presence of hispid hare is confined to isolate patched of grassland of the national park. The population of the hispid hare is rapidly declining due to anthropogenic pressure and grassland fire from its distributed range (only found in Nepal, India, and Bhutan). Therefore, further study about their presence-absence, population status need to do throughout the grassland of the low land of Nepal including the newly rediscovering park.

Keywords: Hipsid hare, Chitwan National Park, new records, small mammals 


Hispid hare individual which was recorded in Chitwan National Park in 2016, as captured by camera-traps. The present recording is the 2nd observation of the species in the region since 1984.
photo: Bed Khadka


Bed Bahadur Khadka, Bhupendra Prasad Yadav, Nurendra Aryal and Achyut Aryal. 2017. Rediscovery of the Hispid Hare (Caprolagus hispidus) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal After Three Decades.   Conservation Science. 5(1); 10-12. DOI:  10.3126/cs.v5i1.18560

Small mammal thought to be extinct rediscovered in Nepal's national park  phy.so/440410736 via @physorg_com