Visualizing the Information about Masked Palm Civet Distribution (Paguma larvata) using Capture Permission and Extermination Statement

Abstract

Masked palm civet (Paguma larvata) is expanding its distribution throughout the country, and the wildlife damage in agricultural products and houses is also increasing. This study clarifies the method and problem for visualizing the distribution information of masked palm civet on a subregional (town street, etc.) scale smaller than the municipality, based on the capture permission by the municipality and the information from the extermination company. In Utsunomiya City, 326 cases of information from capture permission and extermination companies were recognized in 6 years from 2013 to 2018. For 254 cases (77.9%), the distribution information had location information that could be visualized on a subregion scale. Using the number of subregions as an index, the distribution information of masked palm civet has been increasing consistently since 2014, and the distribution information was recognized in 16.0% of the total number of subregions in the entire city.