Range extension of the dhole in the Sahyadri ranges of Maharashtra, India

Abstract

The dhole Cuon alpinus, also known as the Asiatic wild dog, is a medium-sized, Endangered, pack-living carnivore found in a wide range of habitats across eleven countries. The species has one of its largest surviving sub-populations in the Western Ghats (Sahyadri) mountains of India, but it is threatened by prey depletion, habitat loss, and fragmentation of natural habitats. Previous studies and reports have recorded the distribution and occurrence of this species from the northern Western Ghats region in the state of Maharashtra, India. Here, we report a new confirmed record of the dhole captured on a camera-trap in January 2025, from a survey conducted in the private and community lands of the Pawna catchment, Maval Tehsil in Pune District of Maharashtra. The record is significant as it denotes a range extension for this species in the northern Western Ghats mountains of the state. The region is a potential corridor for the species linking the Tamhini and Bhimashankar wildlife sanctuaries, but it is critically threatened from unsustainable land-use changes.