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Abstract Belt transect (71 km) sampling of population of barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak) in Margalla Hills National Park, Pakistan (western extremities of Lesser Himalayas), conducted during winter March-April 2005 suggested a population of 86 individuals distributed in southern slopes with an average density of 1.21±0.14/ km2 (range 0.80 - 1.45). The population exhibited a growth rate of 4.14% per annum between 1971 and 1990 and 1.94% between 1991 and 2005. Sex ratio of 1.45 (female/ male) and fawn/ female ratio of 0.25 was exhibited. The majority of the sightings (64.29%) were as singles or in groups of two (total = 35.71%: two females = 3.57%, male-female = 7.14%, female-fawn = 25.0%).
The deer habitat had reasonably good plant diversity (35 species). Population density of barking deer was 1.57/ km2 at greater than 1,200 m above sea level, whereas it was 1.07 - 1.21/ km2 at less than 1,200 m above sea level. The maximum density appears at medium tree cover (19%), and increasing or decreasing tree cover beyond the cover optima decreased the deer density. Shrub cover had no direct effect on deer density, while increasing herb cover directly increased muntjak density.
Key words: Age structure, density, habitat, population estimates, sex structure, vegetation cover.
INTRODUCTION The barking deer or Indian muntjak (Muntiacus muntjak) has been regarded as endangered in Pakistan with isolated populations present in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP), Khanpur Range and Lathrar (Sheikh and Molur, 2005). The Margalla Hills (Pakistan) used to hold a good population of the species, which had declined to some 20-30 heads by the 1970's (Roberts, 1977). The creation of MHNP provided protection to the habitat and the population grew to 67 individuals by 1990 (Ali, 1991). The continued survival of the species in the country depends in part on a better understanding of distribution and structure of its population in the MHNP, as very limited numbers of deer probably survive in the unprotected areas of the country. The objective of this study is to provide a current census of barking deer in MHNP with attention to sex and social structure and habitat associations.
Its confirmed density in its world distribution which is confined in south Asia is unknown; however the major threats according to IUCN criteria are habitat...