Rediscovery of the hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal after three decades

Authors

  • Bed Bahadur Khadka Chitwan National Park, Chitwan
  • Bhupendra Prasad Yadav Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Kathmandu
  • Nurendra Aryal Chitwan National Park, Chitwan
  • Achyut Aryal Department of Forest and Resource Management, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Rotorua 3046, New Zealand; Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Nature First Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/cs.v5i1.18560

Keywords:

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

Abstract

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.

Citation
Khadka BD, Yadav BP, Aryal N, Aryal A (2017) Rediscovery of the hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal after three decades. Conservation Science, 1: 10-12

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Author Biographies

Bed Bahadur Khadka, Chitwan National Park, Chitwan

Mr Bed Bahadur Khadka is a wildlife officer, working at Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Nepal for more than 10 years.

Bhupendra Prasad Yadav, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Kathmandu

Mr. Bhupendra Prasad Yadav is a wildlife officer, working at Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Nepal for more than 10 years.

Nurendra Aryal, Chitwan National Park, Chitwan

Mr. Nurendra Aryal is a wildlife officer, working at Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Nepal for more than 10 years.

Achyut Aryal, Department of Forest and Resource Management, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Rotorua 3046, New Zealand; Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Nature First Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

Dr. Achyut Aryal is conservation biologist and working for wildlife research and conservation from last 10 years.

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Published

2017-11-07

How to Cite

Khadka, B. B., Yadav, B. P., Aryal, N., & Aryal, A. (2017). Rediscovery of the hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal after three decades. Conservation Science, 5(1), 10–12. https://doi.org/10.3126/cs.v5i1.18560

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2017)

Section

Conservation Notes