The Status of Nepal's Mammals: The National Red List Series - IUCN

32) Cuon alpinus (Pallas, 1811)
Common Names
Dhole (English); Ban kukur (Nepali)
Species Descriptions
Red-brown forest dog which has shorter legs, a
bushy tail and a thicker muzzle than both the wolf
and the domestic dog. Body colour is light chestnut
to brown-yellow.
Species Ecology
The Dhole is a a versatile species occurring in all
habitats with the exception of the desert. They are
found in a wide variety of vegetation types,
including tropical dry and moist deciduous forest,
evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, dry thorn
forests, grassland scrub forest mosaics and alpine
steppe (above 3,000 m). Their main diet consists
of large mammals such as Sambar, Chital, Wild
Boar, Buffalo, Swamp Deer, Nilgai, Gaur, Musk Deer,
Himalayan Tahr, Goral and small mammals such as
hares and other rodents.
The gestation period for Dhole is approximately two
months after which a litter of four to six pups are
born inside a den, which can be an earthen burrow
or rocky cavern.
Conservation Status
Global: Endangered C2a(i)
National: Endangered C2a(i)
Rationale for assessment: The Dhole (Cuon alpinus)
has been assessed as Endangered in Nepal under
criterion C. The Dhole currently has a small
population with fewer than 250 individuals in any
one sub-population and the total population is
considered to be in decline as the threats to this
species have not yet been effectively addressed.
Threats include habitat loss and degradation,
depleting prey species and therefore higher
competition with other large carnivores, persecution
and disease. These factors are therefore likely to
cause further decline of this species in the future.
Legal Status
CITES Appendix II
National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029
(1973).
National Population Size
Total: < 500 (estimated)
Trend: Decreasing (estimated)
This species is considered rare with a current
population estimate of less than 500 individuals,
however this figure needs verification.
National Distribution
The current distribution of Dhole in Nepal includes
Bardia, Chitwan and Rara National Parks, Parsa
and Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserves. Outside the
protected areas it has been observed in Udayapur in
the 1990s. Local communities in Baglung, Dolpa and
Taplejung have also reported this species. However,
despite what seems like a potentially widespread
distribution, sightings of this species are not
common. A study in Chitwan National Park in 1991
found no signs of the species, yet it was widespread
throughout the park in the 1970s.
Distribution outside Nepal
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India,
Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russian
Federation, Tajikistan, Thailand, Viet Nam.
Main Threats
• Depletion of natural prey base.
• Competition with other large carnivores such
as tigers and leopards.
• Habitat loss due to human encroachment and
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