IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Lau, M.W.-N.; Fellowes, J.R.; Chan, B.P.L. | |
| Carnivores (Mammalia: Carnivora) in South China: a status review with notes on the commercial trade | |
| 2010 Mammal Review | |
1. Evidence from the literature, interviews, market surveys, general rapid field surveys and camera trapping was reviewed to infer the regional status of 33 recorded carnivores in South China (Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Kong and Macau). 2. The carnivore fauna in South China is among the most depleted for any continental area in the world. 3. The tiger _Panthera tigris_, leopard _Panthera pardus_, grey wolf _Canis lupus_ and binturong _Arctictis binturong_ are probably extirpated. 4. The dhole _Cuon alpinus_, Asiatic golden cat _Catopuma temmincki_ and clouded leopard _Neofelis nebulosa_ are at great risk of regional extirpation, as are the more ecologically adaptable red fox _Vulpes vulpes_, raccoon dog _Nyctereutes procyonoides_, Asian badger _Meles leucurus_, Eurasian otter _Lutra lutra_, Oriental small-clawed otter _Aonyx cinereus_ and large Indian civet _Viverra zibetha_. 5. Though more widely reported, the Asiatic black bear _Ursus thibetanus_, yellowthroated marten _Martes flavigula_, hog badger _Arctonyx collaris_ and Siberian weasel _Mustela sibirica_ are at regional risk. 6. The status of the Burmese ferret-badger _Melogale personata_, stripe-backed weasel _Mustela strigidorsa_, smooth-coated otter _Lutrogale perspicillata_, largespotted civet _Viverra megaspila_ and Owston's palm civet _Chrotogale owstoni_ is uncertain due to inadequate information. 7. Five carnivore species - the Chinese ferret-badger _Melogale moschata_, masked palm civet _Paguma larvata_, yellow-bellied weasel _Mustela kathiah_, small Indian civet _Viverricula indica_ and leopard cat _Prionailurus bengalensis_ - are relatively secure (though not common) in the region, along with the Asian palm civet _Paradoxurus hermaphroditus_ and the Javan mongoose _Herpestes javanicus_ in some areas, while the spotted linsang _Prionodon pardicolor_ and crab-eating mongoose _Herpestes urva may_ have been under-reported. 8. The main threats have been habitat destruction and unsustainable exploitation. Only in Hong Kong, where enforcement of protection legislation has been stronger, are the surviving carnivore species easily encountered. 9. Improved enforcement and monitoring are essential to retaining the remainder of South China's carnivores. Support could be boosted by conservation education and better research. |
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