| Citation |
Timmins, R.J., Duckworth, J.W., Chutipong, W., Ghimirey, Y., Willcox, D.H.A., Rahman, H., Long, B. & Choudhury, A. 2016. Viverra zibetha. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T41709A45220429. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41709A45220429.en. Downloaded on 14 August 2019. |
Description |
RANGE DESCRIPTION
Large Indian Civet occurs across the southern Himalaya Terai from the Nandhour region, India, east through Nepal and Bhutan, locally in southern China, and widely in Bangladesh (north-east, south-east, middle and Sundarbans), North-east India and mainland South-east Asia including peninsular Malaysia (Duckworth 1997, Azlan 2003, Kawanishi and Sunquist 2004, Than Zaw et al. 2008, Feeroz et al. 2011, 2012, Jennings and Veron 2011, Bista et al. 2012, Choudhury 2013, Tempa et al. 2013, Chutipong et al. 2014, Ghimirey and Acharya 2014, Gray et al. 2014a, Rahman and McCarthy 2014, Willcox et al. 2014: Table SOM3). In China, it has been recorded from the provinces of Anhui, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang, Guangxi, Gunagdong, Hainan, Fujian, Zhejang, and Jiangsu (Wang 2003), but is perhaps now extirpated from some or even most of these (e.g., Lau et al. 2010) although it still occurs at least locally in the country (e.g., Wen et al. 2014). Singapore is also typically included in the range, and animals have certainly occurred in a wild state there, but Chua et al. (2012) queried, given historical statements of large trade in the species into Singapore in the past, whether it is native to the island. It has been introduced to the Andaman Islands, India (Lever 1985).
Ghimirey and Acharya (2014) highlighted the confusing and inconsistent treatment of this speciess western range limit in various sources. A specimen-based claim from west of the known global distribution, from Himachal Pradesh, India (Archana et al. 2000) in fact refers to a palm civet (Bista et al. 2012).
It occurs down to sea-level in some areas, and to 2,420 m in Nepal (Appel et al. 2013) and to 3,080 m in India (Khatiwara and Srivastava 2014).
HABITAT AND ECOLOGY
Large Indian Civet uses a wide variety of wooded habitats, both evergreen and deciduous, and primary and degraded. It has been recorded in primary forest (both evergreen and deciduous), secondary and degraded forest, scrubland and plantations (including those of tea) (Duckworth 1997, Azlan 2003, Jennings and Veron 2011, Choudhury 2013, Chutipong et al. 2014). In the Sundarbans, Bangladesh, it uses mangroves as well as moist deciduous forest and mixed bamboo vegetation (Hasan Rahman pers. comm. 2014) and there are records from Melaleuca cajupti-dominated peat swamp forest in Viet Nam (Nguyen et al. 2004). It perhaps has even wider habitat use, Lekagul and McNeely (1977) indicated it was common around human settlements, and while hunting is probably too heavy in most of South-east Asia for this now to be so, recently one was found in a city park of Dhaka, Bangladesh (Hasan Rahman pers. comm. 2014). There are several recent records in Nepal from the settled Kathmandu valley (Ghimirey and Acharya 2014), but all locations are connected to, or no more than 1-2, maximum 3, km from, large tracts of native forest, so plausibly involve roaming forest-based animals; there is no evidence of animals living independent of forest there (Y. Ghimirey pers. comm. 2014). Four animals radio-tracked by Simcharoen et al. (1999) in the Khao Nang Rum area of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand (one adult male, two adult females and one sub-adult female) had home-ranges of 8.8, 3.6, 6.9 and 2.7 km², respectively. These animals were tracked for 13, 14, 8 and 3 months, respectively, and used evergreen forest much less than deciduous forest: 10%, 49%, 9% and 13%, respectively. Rabinowitz (1991) tracked one animal in the same area for seven months, which used evergreen forests in larger proportion (62%) than deciduous forests (mixed deciduous and dry dipterocarp). In sum, individual Large Indian Civets seem to vary considerably in habitat use.
It has been recorded up to 2,420 m in Nepal (Appel et al. 2013), to 3,080 m in India (Khatiwara and Srivastava 2014), but in South-east Asia perhaps only to at least 1,800 m (Jennings and Veron 2011).
It is solitary and nocturnal although there are occasional day-time records of active animals (e.g. Than Zaw et al. 2008, Gray et al. 2014b) and it is usually active on the ground (Lekagul and McNeely 1977, Duckworth 1997). Its diet consists of a wide range of animals, including fish, birds, lizards, frogs, insects, scorpions (and other arthropods), and crabs, as well as poultry and rubbish (Lekagul and McNeely 1977). It is believed to breed throughout the year, with two litters per year, and two to four young per litter (Lekagul and McNeely 1977).
THREATS
Hunting, mostly for food but to a lesser extent for scent glands, is the main threat to this species in South-east Asia and probably almost throughout its range. There has been an increased demand for civet meat in Chinese and Viet Namese markets (Bell et al. 2004, Lynam et al. 2005). Ground-living small carnivores are exposed to high levels of non-specific hunting, particularly with snares, throughout most of northern South-east Asia, both inside and outside protected areas (e.g., Coudrat et al. 2014, B. Kanchanasaka pers. comm. 2006). Dogs, which among many ethnic groups in this speciess range invariably accompany people entering the forest for any reason, not just on hunting-specific trips, are widely likely to be a problem for this ground-dwelling species, even though it is largely within burrows by day. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, local people kill Large Indian Civets (for meat consumption) with poison (S. Chakma per H. Rahman pers. comm. 2014).
Forest conversion to uses such as agriculture has been variably heavy across the speciess range, and reduces the potential population of this species, and fragmentation facilitates access by hunters and exacerbates the effects of hunting. Because it has a large range in hill forests on rugged terrain, which have much lower clearance rates than do forests on level lowlands, it has lost a lower proportion of its habitat than has the lowland relative Large-spotted Civet V. megaspila. In most of its range, certainly Viet Nam, Lao PDR and China, hunting is the more pervasive threat because large areas of suitable habitat are now empty of the species or nearly so. By contrast, in the better protected areas of Thailand, Myanmar and widely in its range further west, where the species remains common, habitat is more likely to be limiting. The various recent peri-urban records from Nepal (Kathmandu), albeit all within 1-3 km of native forest, contrast strongly with the situation in todays Lao PDR and Viet Nam, where it is now probably largely restricted to the more remote areas.
USE AND TRADE
Many Large Indian Civets are taken (particularly, in Lao PDR and Viet Nam, by snaring) for food, both for sale in local markets and for sale in urban and international markets. In northern South-east Asia the vat majority of the harvest goes for luxury consumption in urban Viet Nam and China (D.H.A. Willcox per. comm. 2014). In North-east India, it is occasionally sold in local markets of Nagaland and hill districts of Manipur (A.U. Choudhury pers. comm.. 2014). Another use is now minor by comparison with hunting for food: like Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica and African Civet Civettictis civetta, but to a generally much lesser extent, Large Indian Civet has been used as a source of civetone, an oil-like substance secreted by the perineal gland used by the animal for territorial marking.
CONSERVATION ACTIONS
This species is totally protected in Malaysia under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 (Azlan 2003) and in Bangladesh under the Wildlife Conservation and Security Act 2012 (Hasan Rahman pers. comm. 2014). It is protected in at least Thailand (Chutipong et al. 2014), Viet Nam and Myanmar (GMA Small Carnivore Workshop 2006). China listed it as ‘Endangered’ under criteria A2acd, and it is a Category II protected State species under the China Wildlife Protection Law (1988), because of trapping for food and scent glands (Li et al. 2000). The population of India is listed on CITES Appendix III. It is found in very many protected areas (e.g., Duckworth 1997, Azlan, 2003, Kawanishi and Sunquist, 2004, Than Zaw et al. 2008, Bista et al. 2012, Choudhury 2013, Tempa et al. 2013, Chutipong et al. 2014, Ghimirey and Acharya 2014, Gray et al. 2014a,b, Khatiwara and Srivastava 2014, Willcox et al. 2014: Table SOM3, Hasan Rahman pers. comm. 2014). There are some differences between countries in their effectiveness at reducing hunting within protected areas. Those countries which have greater commitment to this have healthier populations of Large Indian Civet whereas some of the South-east Asian countries are losing the species within many of their protected areas (e.g., Couldrat et al. 2014, Chutipong et al. 2014). In the interests of maintaining the speciess ancestral range, attention is needed to reducing trade-driven hunting across Lao PDR, Viet Nam and, increasingly, Cambodia. |
