Abstract
We studied the Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in eastern Cambodia, in one of the few potentially remaining viable populations in Southeast Asia. The aims were to determine the: (i) current leopard density in Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) and (ii) diet, prey selection and predation impact of leopard in SWS. The density, estimated using spatially explicit capture–recapture models, was 1.0 leopard/100 km2, 72% lower than an estimate from 2009 at the same site, and one of the lowest densities ever reported in Asia. Dietary analysis of 73 DNA confirmed scats showed leopard consumed 13 prey species, although ungulates comprised 87% of the biomass consumed (BC). The overall main prey (42% BC) was banteng (Bos javanicus), making this the only known leopard population whose main prey had adult weight greater than 500 kg. Consumption of wild pig (Sus scrofa) was also one of the highest ever reported (22% BC), indicating leopard consistently predated on ungulates with some of the largest adult weights in SWS. There were important differences in diet and prey selection between sexes, as males consumed mostly banteng (62% BC) in proportion to availability, but few muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis; 7% BC), whereas females selectively consumed muntjac (56% BC) and avoided banteng (less than 1% BC). Predation impact was low (0.5–3.2% of populations) for the three ungulate species consumed. We conclude that the Indochinese leopard is an important apex predator in SWS, but this unique population is declining at an alarming rate and will soon be eradicated unless effective protection is provided.
Highlights
The leopard (Panthera pardus) has the widest distribution of any felid species, owing to its ability to inhabit diverse habitats ranging from tropical forests and savannahs, to deserts and boreal forests [1]
Using Bayesian inference, the estimate of leopard density was of 1.0 leopard/100 km2, with a 95% posterior interval of (0.4, 1.6)
One of the last remaining potentially viable populations of the Indochinese leopard in Southeast Asia, and the last population in Cambodia, occurs in Eastern Plains Landscape (EPL), and our results show this population is still functioning as part of an important large predator–prey ecosystem
Summary
The leopard (Panthera pardus) has the widest distribution of any felid species, owing to its ability to inhabit diverse habitats ranging from tropical forests and savannahs, to deserts and boreal forests [1]. Despite its adaptability in habitat use and diet, the leopard has experienced severe declines in distribution and numbers, occupying only 25–37% of its historical range [3], which led to its recent uplisting to Vulnerable by the IUCN [1]. The Indochinese leopard (P. pardus delacouri) is a genetically distinct subspecies [6,7,8] that historically occurred throughout all mainland Southeast Asian countries and southeastern China. A recent review showed the Indochinese leopard likely occurs only in 6.2% of its historical range [5]. The Indochinese leopard is extirpated in Singapore, likely extirpated in Laos and Vietnam, nearly extirpated in Cambodia and China, and has greatly reduced distributions in Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand [5]. Rostro-García et al [5] identified three priority sites and strongholds for leopard conservation in Southeast Asia: (i) the Northern Tenasserim Forest Complex on the Thailand–Myanmar border, (ii) Peninsular Malaysia and (iii) eastern Cambodia
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