Data from: An adaptable but threatened big cat: density, diet, and prey selection of the Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in eastern Cambodia

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: 1) current leopard density in Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS), and 2) 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 >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 muntjak; 7% BC), whereas females selectively consumed muntjac (56% BC) and avoided banteng (<1% BC). Predation impact was low (0.5-3.2% of populations) for the three ungulate species consumed. We conclude 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.

本研究针对柬埔寨东部的印支豹（Panthera pardus delacouri）展开，该种群是东南亚少数尚存的具有生存潜力的豹种群之一。本研究旨在达成两大目标：其一，明确斯里保克野生动物保护区（Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary, SWS）内当前的豹种群密度；其二，阐明该保护区内豹的食性、猎物选择及其捕食影响。通过空间显式捕获-再捕获模型（spatially explicit capture–recapture models）估算得到的种群密度为1.0只/100 km²，较2009年该同点位的估算结果下降了72%，是亚洲有记录以来最低的豹种群密度之一。对73份经DNA验证的豹粪便样本开展食性分析后发现，豹共捕食13种猎物，其中有蹄类动物占总捕食生物量（BC）的87%。其主要猎物为爪哇野牛（Bos javanicus），占总捕食生物量的42%——这也是目前已知唯一一种以成年体重超过500千克的动物为主要猎物的豹种群。野猪（Sus scrofa）的捕食占比也达到了22%的总捕食生物量，为全球有记录的最高值之一，这表明斯里保克野生动物保护区内的豹会持续捕食部分成年体重极大的有蹄类动物。不同性别豹的食性与猎物选择存在显著差异：雄性豹主要捕食爪哇野牛，占其总捕食生物量的62%，且捕食比例与该猎物的可获得性相符，但极少捕食赤麂（Muntiacus muntjak；占比仅7%）；而雌性豹则选择性捕食赤麂，占其总捕食生物量的56%，且极少捕食爪哇野牛（占比不足1%）。豹对所捕食的3种有蹄类动物的种群捕食影响较低，仅为其种群数量的0.5%~3.2%。综上，印支豹是斯里保克野生动物保护区内重要的顶级捕食者，但这一独特的种群正以惊人的速度下降，若不采取有效保护措施，该种群将很快灭绝。