Punjabi et al. Dhole in Western Ghats The following is the established format for referencing this article: Punjabi, G.A., Edgaonkar, A., Srivathsa, A., Ashtaputre, S. and Rao, M.K. 2017. Distribution of the dhole in its northern range limits in the Western Ghats, India. Canid Biology & Conservation 20(3):7-13. URL: http://www.canids.org/CBC/20/dhole_in_western_ghats.pdf. Canid Biology & Conservation | http://www.canids.org/cbc/ 7 Research report Distribution of the dhole in its northern range limits in the Western Ghats, India Girish A. Punjabi 1,2* , Advait Edgaonkar 3 , Arjun Srivathsa 2,4,5 , Shrikar Ashtaputre 6 and M. K. Rao 7 1 Wildlife Research and Conservation Society, Flat No. 1A, Shriyog Society, 127/3 Sus Road, Pashan, Pune 411021, India. Email: girisharjunpunjabi@gmail.com . 2 Researchers for Wildlife Conservation, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bengaluru 560065, India. 3 Indian Institute of Forest Management, PO Box 357, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. 4 School of Natural Resources and Environment, 103 Black Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA. 5 Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA. 6 E2, Lake Town, Bibwewadi. Pune 411037, India. 7 Office of the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife West), Maharashtra Forest Department, Borivali (W) 400091, Maharash- tra, India. * Correspondence author Keywords: Asian wild dog, camera-traps, Cuon alpinus, distribution, occupancy, Western Ghats. Abstract The dhole Cuon alpinus is an Endangered carnivore, whose population status is hitherto undetermined across most of its range. We update information on dhole distribution patterns in the northern Western Ghats, India, which forms the northern range limits for the species in the region. We use two sources of data: a landscape-scale (7000km 2 ) habitat occupancy study (from 2010-11), and opportunistic camera-trap photographic records (2012- 15) from the region. Estimated occupancy ( � ) was found to be 0.65 (± 0.18) in the surveyed landscape. Presence of protected areas, high percentage forest cover and availability of preferred prey (sambar Rusa unicolor, muntjac Muntiacus muntjac) were positive influences, while human disturbance showed a negative effect on dhole occu- pancy. The dhole was photo-captured in 14 camera-trap locations outside protected areas, of which 11 locations were outside the area surveyed in the occupancy study. The dhole has likely been extirpated from further north of our study landscape in the Western Ghats, indicating the need to corroborate range maps through renewed field assessments of this carnivore. Findings from this study can serve as a critical component in conservation of the dhole in one of their largest global populations. Introduction The dhole Cuon alpinus is a globally Endangered social carnivore dis- tributed widely from Central Asia, India, to South-East Asia (Kamler et al. 2015). In the absence of reliable methods to determine their popu- lation sizes, expert opinion estimates suggest that the total population is 4,500-10,500, of which 949-2,215 mature individuals may currently survive in the wild, with the overall population declining across its geographic range (Kamler et al. 2015). Prey depletion and loss of habitat seem to be the most prominent threats to dholes, and persecu- tion (retaliatory killing) may still be a threat in large parts of its range (Kamler et al. 2015). While intraguild predation and competition with tigers Panthera tigris may potentially suppress small, insular dhole Copyright © 2017 by the IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group. ISSN 1478-2677