Data from: Red pandas on the move: Weather and disturbance effects on habitat specialists

Challenging weather events can make winters harsh for habitat and diet
specialists. They may also incur high energetic costs due to reduced
availability of food resources and elevated predation risk. Using GPS
satellite collars we tracked the movement of the red panda Ailurus fulgens
in the Himalayas, and evaluated the effects of weather and disturbances on
their movement patterns and habitat use. We also analyzed the nutritional
content of their key diet plant species. The mean daily distance travelled
by red pandas was 748 ± 40 m (median 573 m), with no detectable effect of
weather conditions and snow age. However, males travelled further than
females when there was snow on the ground (β = 410.5, p < 0.02).
Red pandas moved between 2,528 and 3,250 m during the study period with
the mean elevation 2,857 ± 107 m when snow was on the ground and 2,816 ±
99 m without snow. A group of disturbances such as distance to
settlements, herding stations, and roads, and geo-physical variables
affected their habitat use when the forest was covered with snow as they
occupied areas away from human settlements (β = 0.36, p = 0.03), exhibited
affinity for high elevations (β = 0.37, p = 0.02), and avoided steep slope
(β = -0.21, p = 0.04). These movement patterns suggest a risk aversion
strategy with males' behaviour appearing to be driven by reproductive
instincts. Additionally, the distribution of their major dietary
vegetation varied across the elevation gradient, leading to differences in
the nutritional content of the diet, which might also have some effects on
habitat use. Overall we found that despite red pandas exhibiting risk
aversion behaviour, challenging weather events like snowfall could
exacerbate the adverse effects on these habitat specialists.