A Tapestry of Habitats: Exploring Abundance and Habitat Preferences of the Northern Red Muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis) across the Central Himalayan Landscape

Abstract Understanding the occupancy and density estimate of barking deer (Muntiacus vaginalis) at a landscape scale is crucial due to their significant ecological impact on ecosystems, particularly as prey for large predators. This study employed a single-season site occupancy model to assess the occupancy and density of barking deer using camera traps in the east Sikkim and Darjeeling hills of the Central Himalayan landscape from 2018 to 2020. The survey covered both protected and non-protected areas, representing the diverse land use and topographic variations in the region. A total of 513 independent captures of barking deer were obtained from 3150 trap nights. The study estimated the naive occupancy of barking deer in the central Himalayan landscape to be 0.64. The top model revealed positive influences of broadleaved forest (β = 0.93 ± 0.26), mixed forest (β = 0.6 ± 0.47), and slope (β = 0.2 ± 0.24) on the occupancy probability, while elevation (β = -0.08 ± 0.24) and ruggedness (β = -0.53 ± 0.23) had negative influences. Similarly, broadleaved forest (β = 1.3 ± 0.24), mixed forest (β = 0.74 ± 0.39), and ruggedness (β = 0.62 ± 0.25) positively influenced the detection probability, whereas elevation (β = -0.3 ± 0.22) and slope (β = -1.13 ± 1.21) had negative effects. No significant difference in the occupancy probability of barking deer was found between different protected areas and non-protected areas in the landscape (Kruskal-Wallis = 0.171, p > 0.05). The study estimated a total abundance of 169.23 ± 20.77 individuals with a density of 0.33 individuals per square kilometre in the central Himalayan landscape. This study serves as a pioneering effort and provides a foundation for future investigations into the occupancy and density estimate of barking deer in the central Himalayas.