However although widely distributed and adaptable, dholes occur at low densities and there are now thought to be less than 2,500 left in the wild and the declining population trend is expected to continue.
There is no known dhole population above 250 anywhere and no known population fully secured within a conservation area.
In Nepal dholes are present in the lowland protected area of Chitwan National Park and in the high mountains of Kangchenjunga Conservation Area. But even in these protected regions, they are severely threatened as their living space is encroached upon by humans, the amount of prey is declining and diseases are transmitted by feral and domestic dogs. The biggest problem that dholes face however is shooting, trapping and poisoning by local herdsmen in retaliation to their livestock being preyed upon. To conserve dholes and other large carnivores within and beyond reserve boundaries, dholes must be worth more to local communities alive than dead.
Despite being internationally listed as endangered, the reality is that there is very little reliable data on dholes. We don’t know much about what makes them tick or where they are and this makes it an almost impossible challenge to conserve them.
PTES is supporting an NGO in Nepal working in Kangchenjunga National Park which is a pivotal spot for dholes as it links a wildlife corridor across to Sikim and Tibet. Local people regard the dholes as pests and commonly trap, shoot or poison them. Although, the herders assume dholes are a major predator to their livestock, there is insufficient evidence to show that it is actually true.
To work out the status and distribution of the dholes, 50 automatic motion camera traps have been placed across the pastureland. Reports of sightings and killings are being gathered from local herders and villagers through questionnaires and group discussions. And dhole scats are being collected to examine dietary behaviour through DNA analysis and examination of hair and bone remains. Dhole scats are easily distinguished from other species partly because they tend to be deposited in latrines used by a whole pack. All the information will be put together in a digital dhole map of Kangchenjunga and used to create a conservation plan with the local people who have the management responsibility for this important conservation area.
This will be the first time dholes have been properly monitored in this region and has a real chance of bringing them back from the brink of extinction.