Distribution, status, and habitat of larger carnivores in the Eastern Ghats forests of Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

Andhra Pradesh, including the Eastern Ghats mountains, central part of the Peninsula of India, lies on a plateau with many hills, and is covered by tropical moist and dry deciduous thorny scrub and mangrove forests. Fourteen species of carnivore (6 cats, 4 canids, 1 mongoose, 1 otter, 1 bear, and 1 hyanid) survive in this area. All of them were fast declining because of habitat destruction and consequent loss of prey species ; the tiger was endangered, seven species vulnerable, and five species rare. Only one was common, the common mongoose.